Cultural Retail
Skira considers museums to be places of unique and universal value, where culture and art thrive through languages, architecture and limitless curatorial possibilities. The boutique bookstores that the publishing house has created since 2000 combine an innovative approach with a design tailored to the identity of each museum space. They themselves become an extension of the exhibition, an unmissable stop for visitors on their path through the museum.
The Ambrosiana art gallery was established by Cardinal Federico Borromeo in 1618 within the Ambrosiana Library in Milan, which Borromeo himself founded in 1607. Among the masterpieces kept in the library are the Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci and the Ambrosian Virgil, a manuscript already owned by Petrarch and annotated by him, embellished with a miniature by Simone Martini. In the rooms of the art gallery, visitors can admire the paintings of Botticelli, Titian, Caravaggio, Leonardo da Vinci and many others. The Skira boutique bookstore is located on the ground floor, next to the Sala Federiciana, at the end of the art gallery’s exhibition route.
Piazza Pio XI 2, Milan Opening: from Monday to Sunday 10.00 - 18.00. Closed on Wednesday.
The Civic Museums of Padua bring together, within the cloisters of the former convent of the Eremitani friars, the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Medieval and Modern Art. The complex includes the Scrovegni Chapel, known worldwide for the extraordinary pictorial cycle by Giotto, and the Palazzo Zuckermann. The Skira boutique bookstore is located next to the main ticket office, with access also available without a ticket.
Piazza Eremitani, Padua Open: from Monday to Sunday 9:00 - 19:00.
The Libreria Bocca is the oldest library in Italy. An evocative cornucopia where, among the countless carefully selected art books, visitors feel like Alice in Wonderland, the Libreria Bocca is an urban gem accessible from the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, with its polychrome marbles and glass vault from which the sky above is visible. In the heart of Milan, it is a place rich in history, where booklovers can discover the Skira-Corner.
Open: every day 10.30 - 19.00 Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II 12, Milan
Opened in 1865 by brothers Luigi and Ferdinando Bocconi, La Rinascente is a must-see for all fashion and lifestyle lovers. The Skira-Corner is located on the -1 floor dedicated to design.
Piazza Duomo 10, Milan Open: every day 10.00 - 22.00
Founded in 1796 by Giacomo Carrara, the Accademia Carrara is considered the museum of Italian art collectors par excellence, with its extraordinary heritage the result of bequests from enlightened patrons of the arts. More than 300 works run through five centuries of art history, from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, with masterpieces by Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Lotto, Giovan Battista Moroni, Pisanello, Mantegna and other masters of Italian painting. The Skira boutique bookstore is located at the end of the exhibition route.
Piazza Giacomo Carrara 82, Bergamo Hours Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10.00 - 19.00 Tuesday: 10.00 - 13.00 Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 10.00 - 20.00
The Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum houses one of the most valuable European collections of ancient armour and weapons. The collection, a display of craftsmanship and art, shows the long tradition of armour and arms manufacturing in Brescia. The museum was founded from the collection of Cavaliere del Lavoro Luigi Marzoli, a successful entrepreneur and arms collector from Palazzolo.
Via Castello 9, Brescia Open: every day 10.00 - 18.00. Closed on Monday.
Completely renovated in 2018, the art gallery in the elegant setting of Palazzo Martinengo da Barco contains a rich collection of masterpieces. Along the exhibition route, which begins in the fourteenth century, visitors gaze upon famous paintings such as the Angel and Christ Blessing by Raphael and the Adoration of the Shepherds by Lorenzo Lotto, alongside rare objects of decorative art. The heart of the collection is represented by the Brescian paintings of the Renaissance with works by Savoldo, Romanino, and Moretto. The Skira boutique bookstore is located at the entrance, near the ticket office and is accessible without a ticket.
Piazza Moretto 4, Brescia Open: every day 10.00 - 18.00. Closed on Monday.
Recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Archaeological Park of Roman Brescia is among the most significant and best-preserved ancient sites in Italy. Crossing the Archaeological Park, visitors can view a sanctuary from the Republican era (first century BC), the Capitolium (73 AD) with the remains of the imperial age and the nineteenth-century museum acquisitions, the Winged Victory – a bronze masterpiece – and the Roman theatre (first-third century AD). The Skira boutique bookstore is located at the entrance, next to the ticket office and is accessible without a ticket.
Via dei Musei 55, Brescia Open: from Tuesday to Sunday 10.00 - 18.00. Closed on Monday.
The National Automobile Museum, known as MAUTO, was founded in 1932 in Turin on the left bank of the Po, thanks to an idea from two pioneers of Italian motoring, Cesare Goria Gatti and Roberto Biscaretti di Ruffia. Among the most famous automobile museums in the world, it is a must for car enthusiasts. With its exceptional collection of 200 original cars produced by 80 different companies, it tells the evolution of the car from a means of transport to an object of worship.
Corso Unità d’Italia 40, Turin Open: every day 10.00 - 18.00. On Monday 10.00-14.00
An extraordinary example of a suburban villa, Palazzo Te was conceived and built between 1524 and 1534 by Giulio Romano for Federico II Gonzaga, the Marquis of Mantua and is the most famous work by the Italian architect and painter. The complex houses the Civic Museum and, since 1990, the International Centre of Art and Culture of Palazzo Te, which organises exhibitions of ancient and modern art and architecture. The Skira boutique bookstore is located on the ground floor, inside the historic rooms of the palace.
Viale Te, Mantua Open: from Monday to Sunday 9.00 -19.30. Closed on Tuesday.
Perched on the Cidneo Hill, Brescia Castle is considered the symbol of the city. Among the best-preserved fortified complexes in Europe, its walls speak of centuries of power struggle between different warring factions. The Mastio, with the mighty Tower of the Prisoners, the drawbridge and the Mirabella Tower, the only remaining trace of the Church of Santo Stefano in Arce, are products of the medieval commune period and the era of Visconti dominance. The Skira boutique bookstore is located at the entrance, next to the ticket office and the information point, and is accessible without a ticket.
Via Castello 9, Brescia Open: every day 10.00 - 18.00.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Santa Giulia Museum in Brescia exhibits, in chronological and thematic order, thousands of extraordinary pieces from the fourth millennium BC to the eighteenth century. The monumental complex contains an archaeological area with two houses from the Roman era (first to third century AD), the Lombard basilica of San Salvatore (eighth century AD), the Nuns’ Choir (beginning of the sixteenth century) and the Romanesque oratory of Santa Maria in Solario (twelfth century), The Skira boutique bookstore is located in the main hall of the museum, between the ticket office, the entrance and the exit.
Via dei Musei 81/B, Brescia Open: from Tuesday to Sunday 10.00 - 18.00. Closed on Monday.
Our Expertise
Each boutique bookstore opens new opportunities for the partner museum, emphasising its uniqueness and values and supporting it in consolidating its relationship with its audience. With more than 20 years of experience, Skira’s goal is to accompany museums in their mission to spread art and culture.
The idea of the single boutique bookstore comes from analysing the positioning and values that make each partner museum a unique place, an exceptional destination for the exhibition philosophy and for the heritage it presents to its audience. The interior design, the assortment, the prices, the editorial selection; everything is designed to offer the visitor an extension of the museum experience. Skira also develops a marketing strategy for each museum that includes an e-commerce site, offline distribution, brand licences and co-marketing operations. It is thanks to this strategic, broad-minded approach that the boutique bookstore is always a selection of high-value content consistent with the DNA of the museum and its specific sales results.
An art and culture publishing house since 1928, Skira has become renowned worldwide for the original publications it curates for partner museums, from editing, to printing and distribution. Today Skira publishes guides, exhibition catalogues and reference volumes for the largest museums and international cultural institutions such as the Louvre, the British Museum, Gallerie d’Italia, the MoMA and the recently opened Diriyah Art Futures. Inside each boutique bookstore, the editorial component is fundamental. The selection of books reflects the image and positioning of each partner. As well as the original publications for the museum, new releases and specialised editions are also stocked, including titles chosen to offer cultural, historical and scientific content that enriches the visitor’s experience in the museum. The goal is to meet the interests of not only experts, with rare editions and niche books, but also of the wider public of all ages.
The design of the boutique library, entrusted by Skira to architects and designers established in this sector, is inspired by the genius loci, its spirit of place. It recalls the collections, the architecture and the values of the museum. Each element, from the windows, to the arrangement of the different areas, to the furnishings, is designed to offer a unique experience.This creates a visual and sensory impact that invites the visitor to enter, to choose and make their purchases, moving at ease in a space designed as if it were the final gallery of the museum.
Skira takes care of the arrangement of products in the window and inside the boutique bookstore in a manner that seeks to balance aesthetics with commercial necessity. The goal is to capture the attention of the visitor, encourage the impulse to purchase and increase the conversion rate thanks to the training of dedicated staff and the use of various tools. The most advanced visual merchandising techniques, constantly adapted according to sales trends, are combined with intentional scenography and space distribution. The strategic presentation of products also continues in the e-commerce site that Skira designs for the museum, which also respects its visual identity.
Inside the boutique library, Skira creatively presents objects in the colours and style that best enhance the spirit of the museum and its collections. Each object accompanies the books and is also based on the profiling of visitors. In particular, the choice of art objects, gift ideas, objects for children, stationery items, fashion, decoration and souvenirs are the result of extensive research in the sector to grasp contemporary trends. Always cognisant of ethical and sustainable production, Skira’s purchasing office favours zero-kilometre objects from exclusive brands, active at the local and regional level. The internal creative workshop of the publishing house, with a production of almost a thousand objects per year, contributes to guaranteeing a short and low-impact supply chain.
Skira offers museums the opportunity to become part of a digital ecosystem that helps them to reach the public before, during and after the visit. The e-commerce site designed for each partner to be consistent with its specific brand image, is integrated both with the museum’s site and with the Skira sales platform in order to generate a higher number of visits. To complete the ecosystem, Skira also takes care of the communication via newsletters and social media coverage of the museum’s exhibitions, products and events, in order to involve and retain new digital visitors.
In recent years, online cultural consumption has been on the rise, with a growing interest in museum sites. Ever attentive to new spaces and new ways to access art and culture, Skira optimised its marketplace in 2024.Skira-arte.com is now a meeting place for an increasingly relevant online community consisting not only of museum visitors, but including a vast audience of people motivated by a thirst for culture. Almost 7000 points of reference, including books, creative objects, limited editions on the work of great artists and original publications made for partner museums make up a highly original online marketplace. It is a constantly evolving selection, of great interest to art lovers and collectors, but also for young people looking to find out more about the world of art and culture.
Discover all the news of the Skira e-shop
Skira makes each boutique bookstore a lively and engaging space, animated by moments of sharing that strengthen connections with the public and with partner museums. Meetings with artists and authors, book signings, temporary exhibitions, launches of new editorial proposals; each event is communicated through the social channels of the boutique libraries, via newsletter and, if the activity requires it, also through the Skira press offices in Milan, Paris and New York.
Over more than 20 years, Skira has built a working group with significant experience in the publication and distribution of cultural products designed for artistic tourism. Our team combines creativity and technical preparation and continuously augments its skills thanks to the sharing of best practice between the different boutiques. A central point of contact supervises the local sales managers, updating them on all the news of the museum and on the most advanced commercial systems and techniques.
The boutique bookstore’s sales trends are transmitted daily to the Skira headquarters. Once a week, the relevant manager analyses the data and reports any changes to be made to optimise purchases, assortment and sales results. Several times a year, the customer experience inside the Skira boutique is also monitored, through a mystery shopper. The evaluation concerns the qualitative level of the space, from the organisation of routes, to the tidiness, to the cleanliness and labelling, as well as services such as the availability of staff, the support to the purchase and the management of the cash desk.
