The Roberto Casamonti Collection

By

Cecilia Sandroni

Florence has a new space dedicated to Modern and Contemporary Art – the piano nobile of Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni, the historic Renaissance building designed by Baccio d’Agnolo, on the intersection of Piazza Santa Trinità and via Tornabuoni.

The historic palace, which has been attentively restored, will house a selection of works that Roberto Casamonti has collected during his long career in the art world and is central to his collection.

The paintings and sculptures that will go on show are the result of years of passionate research and collecting, and chart the evolution of the history of art of the 20th century.

“The collection, with its permanent loans, is one of the largest collections of Modern and Contemporary Art open to the public in Italy,” says Bruno Corà, a critic and the curator of the collection. “The decision to offer this work to the Florentine and international public is an authentic act of patronage and gratitude to the city that has been with him throughout his life and career.”

The Associazione Culturale, which has been founded especially to run this space, has announced that entry will be free of charge and by appointment only.

The collection, which includes works by Italian and international artists, will be divided into two groups – the first will comprise works made between the start of the 20th century and the start of the 1960s, while the second group will comprise works made between the 1960s to the current day.

The first half will go on show in Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni from the 24th March 2018 till the Spring of 2019, after which the second half will be displayed.

The first group contains works by artists including Fattori, Boldini, Balla, Viani, Sironi, Severini, Marini, Morandi, de Chirico, Savinio, Prampolini, Casorati, Magnelli, Licini, Picasso, Leger, Soutine, Klee, Chagall, Ernst, Kandinsky, Hartung, Fautrier, Matta, Lam, Dorazio, Accardi, Afro, Vedova, Capogrossi, Burri, Klein, Fontana, Castellani, Manzoni, Lo Savio and many more.

The cultural association, which has been named Collezione Roberto Casamonti, will play a central role in organising exhibitions and multidisciplinary events that aim to promote dialogue and cultural debate around Modern and Contemporary Art.

“This project exists to punctuate the journey that my family has been on, and is expressed through the living language of art. I wanted to share my collection with Florence, a city that I have always loved, because I want these works to be accessible to everyone, without any exclusivity. I firmly believe in the educational power of art, which is capable of structuring both mind and soul for the better. I believe that beauty, as Dostoevsky once said, can save the world.”

Sonia Zampini, an art historian and a longtime collaborator of Tornabuoni Art, has also been nominated to head up the project.

The exhibition runs from March 24, 2018 to March 10, 2019 and can be booked here

Cecilia Sandroni

Cecilia Sandroni is a member of the Foreign Press in Rome, in addition to being an expert of international relations in communication. Her skills range from film to photography with a passion for human rights. Independent, creative, concrete, she has collaborated with major Italian and foreign institutions for the realization of cultural and civil projects.