Since the 1990s the Salone has been significantly intensifying its cultural relevance by promoting a rich program of exhibitions, many of which have been celebrating the great masters of contemporary design. Everything began in 1996 with a retrospective dedicated to Achille Castiglioni, to then touch upon Joe Colombo, Gio Ponti, Vico Magistretti, Alvar Aalto and Ettore Sottsass. Other exhibitions, instead, experiment with new ways of communicating the culture of design through a series of transversal events that bring together design, art, fashion and food. It all began in 2000 with Stanze e Segreti at the Rotonda della Besana, with the participation and contribution, among others, of Achille Bonito Oliva, Peter Greenaway, Emir Kusturica, Robert Wilson, Yoko Ono, Marina Abramovic, Ghada Amer, Massimo Bartolini and Michelangelo Pistoletto. 

Among the most memorable exhibitions, Grand Hotel Salone in 2002, curated by Adam D. Thiant, 1951-2001 Made in Italy? at the Milan Triennale in 2001, Immaginando Prometeo at Palazzo della Regione in 2003, Entrez Lentement in 2004, curated by Pierluigi Nicolin and revolving around the idea of a round table between eight contemporary architects and eight belonging to the modernist tradition, each participating with a house project. Not to forget the innovative and experimental project on Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper curated by Peter Greenway in 2008.