Centro Luigi Pecci was founded in 1988 by the Municipality of Prato and the Pecci family, prominent local textile entrepreneurs who donated the land and the building, designed by architect Italo Gamberini.
It was the first building in Italy created specifically to host contemporary art exhibitions and events — a museum that recalls the look of textile factories, reflecting the city's strong connection to both industrial production and contemporary creativity. Prato, the largest textile district in Europe, has long had a forward-looking spirit. The Centro Pecci was founded with the clear goal of connecting that identity with the many forms of contemporary and experimental art.
In the early 2000s, with support from European funding, the Municipality of Prato and the Region of Tuscany began an ambitious expansion project. The new design was created by Dutch-Indonesian architect Maurice Nio. In 2016, the New Centro Pecci opened — a striking golden structure that wraps around the original building like a spaceship. Its metal antenna reaches into the sky, symbolizing the museum’s mission: to receive, interpret, and share the artistic signals of the present and future.
Our institution was founded thanks to the initiative of:
Comune di Prato, Cassa di Risparmi e Depositi di Prato, Unione Industriale Pratese, Monte dei Paschi di Siena
and of:
Stefano Balestri, Luigia Benelli (e figli in memoria di Alpo Benelli), Loriano Bertini, Arnolfo Biagioli, Bruno Bigagli, Marco Bigagli, Gianna Briganti, Edo Cafissi, Pier Giuseppe Carini, Sergio Chiostri, Luciana Chiostri Corsi, Ornella Dolci Franchi, Elda Franchi Pecci, Mauro Giovannelli, Alessandro Gori, Claudio Gori, Giuliano Gori: collezione spazi d’Arte Fattoria di Celle, Foresto Guarducci, Giannetto Guarducci, Nicoletta Kellner Ongaro Pecci, Romano Lenzi, Antonio Lucchesi, Giuliano Magni, Franco Mantellassi, Massimo Marchi, Anna Marchi Mazzini, Alessandro Pandolfini Marchi, Alberto Pecci, Elena Pecci, Enrico Pecci, Giovanna Pecci, Laura Pecci, Adriana Pecci Querci, Margherita Pecci Querci, Piero Picchi, Enrica Pieri Querci, Anna Querci, Maurizio Querci, Sergio Querci, Tebaldo Raffaelli (e famiglia), Anna Rasponi dalle Teste, Giuseppe Risaliti, Fosco Rosi, Daniela Salvadori Guidi, Roberto Sarti, Riccardo Tempestini, Luciano Toti
Founding Members of the Association Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci.