Closure of the Milan Comics Museum: what are we really losing?
Are you looking for information about the closure of the Milan Comics Museum and what will happen to its unique collection?
Then stop here for a moment, because you are about to discover some of the saddest, and unfortunately true, news for those who love art, culture and the drawn memory of our time.
The closure of the Milan Comics Museum is a huge blow to Italian popular culture. Known as Wow Spazio Fumetto, this space was not just a museum, but a living archive with over 500,000 unique pieces: original artwork, historical issues, scripts, entire eras drawn and narrated. The date is set: on 15 June 2025, the lights will go out, perhaps forever.
In this article, I will tell you why the Comics Museum is closing, what we will lose, and what you can do to prevent it from disappearing into silence.
Closure of the Milan Comics Museum: what are we really going to lose?
Why is the Milan Comics Museum closing?
The story is simple and, in some ways, absurd. The Franco Fossati Foundation, which has been running the museum for 14 years, is based in a historic building dating back to 1922, located at 12 Viale Campania and owned by the Municipality of Milan. After the pandemic, the accounts were no longer viable: the forced closure, extraordinary maintenance work and accumulated rent debts created an unsustainable situation.
Although the Foundation accepted a debt repayment proposal offered by the Municipality, the bureaucracy did not budge. An eviction notice arrived, complete with police officers on site. The Municipality refused to grant an extension. The museum must vacate the premises by 15 June, or it will be excluded from any future new assignments.
A cultural heritage at risk: what we are about to lose
We are talking about half a million pieces, many of which are unique in the world.
There is the first issue of Topolino, requested even by Disney for its 90th anniversary celebrations. There is a complete collection of Corrierino dei Piccoli, a public library loved by children and students, and materials consulted for dissertations and academic research.
Are you looking for information about the closure of the Milan Comics Museum and what will happen to its unique collection?
Then stop here for a moment, because you are about to discover some of the saddest, and unfortunately true, news for those who love art, culture and the drawn memory of our time.
The closure of the Milan Comics Museum is a huge blow to Italian popular culture. This space, known as Wow Spazio Fumetto, was not just a museum, but a living archive with over 500,000 unique pieces: original illustrations, historical issues, scripts, entire eras drawn and narrated. The date is set: on 15 June 2025, the lights will go out, perhaps forever.
In this article, I will tell you why the Comics Museum is closing, what we will lose, and what you can do to prevent it from disappearing into silence.
Closure of the Milan Comics Museum: what are we really going to lose?
The museum is part of a network of prestigious institutions, from the Musée de la Bande Dessinée in Brussels to the Museo del Fumetto in Lucca, as well as events and festivals throughout Italy. With its closure, all these activities are at risk of disappearing, along with the spirit of a place that has been able to speak to different generations in an accessible and ingenious language.
The message from the comic book heroes
Luigi Bona, president of the Foundation, put it clearly: ‘They called us comic book geeks with our heads in the clouds, but this time it’s too much even for superheroes.’
His words convey the frustration and bitterness of those who tried to save a dream – and with it a piece of Italian cultural identity.
The petition launched by fans gathered 12,000 signatures, but it went unheard. Now, the only option is to find a secure warehouse to save the archive: a race against time and indifference.
Comic book culture: why it really matters
Think about it for a moment: comics tell stories, but they also tell History, with a capital H.
Comics tell the story of a changing Italy, of civil battles, of imagination and commitment. They represent a bridge between generations, a language that speaks to children but also to adults, artists and scholars.
The risk now is that all this will be lost. That a door will be closed, and with it a democratic vision of art: the kind that can be leafed through, read, collected and loved.
The pandemic and culture: a wound that is still open
Covid has left deep scars on society, on young people, on all of us and also on the world of culture. Exhibitions have been cancelled (even if no one talks about it), museums have been closed for months and then reopened, succumbing to an unstoppable invasion of tourists, cities of art have been stormed by people who want to visit all the museums in the big cities in just a few days, leaving a devastating impact on the places they visit. The closure of Wow Spazio Fumetto is just one of the many side effects of a crisis that has brought the entire cultural sector to its knees in many different ways.
This is also a starting point for reflection. We will do this together, in other articles, to understand what it means today to truly support art and those who preserve it.
What you can do (right now)
If you care about culture, talk about it, share this news, support organisations that – like Wow Spazio Fumetto – work every day to build bridges between the past and the future.
Also, if you love comics and want to learn more about their artistic expressions, you can read some in-depth articles. Here are an idea to help you better understand the importance of this form of communication:
Because every form of art needs someone to look at it, love it and protect it. Especially when it seems to be made up of nothing but “bubbles”. Art is never just paper. It is memory, it is struggle, it is life.
Have you ever visited the Comics Museum in Milan? Would you like to tell me what you thought of it?
Write to me in the comments or by email.
Follow me on:
About me
In this blog, I don't explain the history of art — I tell the stories that art itself tells.