Today’s GAMeC collection owes its existence to a great Bergamo tradition of patronage. There are about 3,000 works of art dating from the early twentieth century to the present, all donated to the city by private patrons or acquired through collections
and prizes.
The works are displayed in rotation within the exhibition spaces, on each occasion applying new viewing concepts and with both themed narratives or shows dedicated to individuals or to art movements.
Apart from the main collections—the Spajani with its forty works by great twentieth century artists including Balla, Boccioni, de Chirico, Kandinsky, Morandi, and others; the Manzù, donated by the sculptor himself to the city of Bergamo; the Stucchi, focusing on the 1950s–1960s, with particular reference to masters of the Informal like Burri, Fautrier, Hartung, and others—there are also works transferred to the GAMeC from the Accademia Carrara collections, as well as a significant set of works by contemporary Italian and international artists, acquired after the foundation of the association.

Lastly, GAMeC vaunts a medal collection donated by Vittorio Lorioli, the Nino Zucchelli Archive, the Fondo Fotografico Finazzi collection, and the Raccolta Fotografica Lanfranco Colombo collection.