2024-04-25
Italian art collector Roberto Casamonti will open, Florence's first museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Casamonti has bought and renovated the Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni building, which will house the institution. The historic space will be filled with works from the Italian's private collection, works by artists such as Giorgio de Chirico, Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Andy Warhol, Basquiat and many others.
The inaugural exhibition will feature works from the early 20th century up to the 1960s; while next March, the exhibition will showcase works from 1960 to the present. "The project was born out of a need to share my collection with Florence, and also to promote a love of contemporary art. I am convinced of the significant educational value of art; the extent to which it can stimulate the thought process and animate our lives. I want my collection to be accessible to all, regardless of the financial capacity of those interested, for, like Fyodor Dostoevsky, I believe that beauty can save the world." - says Casamonti.
Bruno Corà, president of the Fondazione Alberto Burri and curator of the inaugural exhibition, points out that Casamonti's collection is one of the most important in Italian history and that the Italian collector's initiative will allow access to the art resources of the most important artists of recent decades.
The private museum will be open to the public at no extra charge, but will require pre-arranged organized tours. Casamonti and the Associazione Culturale, which manages the venue, have agreed to donate all profits from sales or events held there to scholarships for art history students in Florence.