The palace of Brera hosts, besides the important gallery, also the Art Academy, the National Library, the Astronomical Museum and the Botanical Garden. built upon an ancinet convent of the 14th century, it was restructured in the 17th century and then enlarged in the 18th century, following the project by the architect Piermarini. During the Napoleonic government, in the middle of the courtyard was placed the statue of Napoleon as Mars, work by Antonio Canova.

The Art Academy of Brera was founded by the empress Maria Teresa of Austria in 1776, who also opened the first nucleus of the gallery, with paintings coming from churches and convents suppressed in the Enlightenment age. This patrimony was further on enlarged and enriched during Napoleonic Age, since here were gathered the works of art confiscated to the other Northern Italian cities conquered by Napoleon arms. The French government decided to make of Brera their artistic proud, so they seized works by Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael from the archibishop's seat and detached from the walls many frescoes from some churches in Lombardy. From the Louvre also arrived some paintings by Flemish painters, in order to complete the collection.

After the Restoration, the prestige of Brera remained unchanged and the collection kept on enlarge thanks to legacies by private noblemen, moreover to purchases and trades with other museums, intended to balance and complete the exhibition offer. At the end of 19th century the Gallery was made independent from the Academy, becoming national institution on its own. During the Second World War was seriously damaged by bombings, but it was soon restructured an opened again to the public in 1950. In the Seventies, the Gallery was enriched with some important private collections containing important works by Italian painters of the XX century, coming in this way to present a complete overview of highest quality about the whole history of Italian painting, from the Middle Ages up to present times.

In the Brera Gallery are exposed works by: Gentile da Fabriano, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffello, Bramante, Bellini, Piero della Francesca, Bramantino, Carpaccio, Crivelli, Signorelli, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Luini, Ferrari, Foppa, Borgognone, Mantegna, Carracci, Correggio, Lorenzo Lotto, Moroni, Veronese, Tintoretto, Dossi, Caravaggio, Longhi, Piazzetta, Tiepolo, Canaletto, Solimena, Luca Giordano and also Boccioni, Carrą, De Pisis, Modigliani, Morandi.