MACRO - Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Roma, opened in 2002 but a monumental extension by French architect Odile Decq (Venice Biennale laureate) hosts visitors since Autumn 2010.

MACRO mostly focuses on young Italian and international artists, for instance, on June 1, a new cycle of artists will comprise American artist Jacob Hashimoto, or Portuguese João Louro, among others.

The MACRO's permanent collection includes a selection of some of the most significant expressions of the Italian art scene since the 1960s, such as the group Forma 1 with the works by Carla Accardi, Antonio Sanfilippo, Achille Perilli, Piero Dorazio, Leoncillo and Ettore Colla; the Arte Povera with Mario Ceroli and Pino Pascali.

The gallery collect works by such artists as Giovanni Albanese, Andrea Aquilanti, Gianni Asdrubali, Domenico Bianchi, Bruno Ceccobelli, Sarah Ciracì, Enzo Cucchi, Fabrice de Nola, Gianni Dessì.

Both museums are publicly owned, however, MACRO belongs to the city of Rome, while MAXXI depends on the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture. They differ in size, with MACRO being much smaller than MAXXI.