On the lovely Piazza Ruggero Settimo, characterised by the greenery of the palm trees and many monuments, stands the imposing Politeama, one of the most important theatres in Palermo. Constructed at the end of the nineteenth century to the design of Giuseppe Damiani Almeyda, the building is in Pompeian neo-classical style. The entrance features an advanced structure, a kind of majestic triumphal arch, with magnificent high relief work, while the curved lines of the facade are adorned with slender Doric and Ionian columns, above them are the beautiful bronze statues by Mario Rutelli, a chariot (quadriga) and two genii on horseback. In the splendid rooms situated on the top floor of the building the E. Restivo Civic Modern Art Gallery is housed, to which is annexed a specialised library and a well-stocked historical archive. The museum houses a large collection of modern and contemporary works, above all from the southern Italian school, and displays about 235 watercolours, oil paintings, pastel pictures, marble, earthenware, bronze and plaster sculptures. In particular the painting masterpieces by Guttuso, Carra', Campigli, Mancini and Boldini should be admired, and the sculpture masterpieces by Trentacoste, De Lisi and Civiletti.