Roberto Casamonti Collection opens in Florence

Roberto Casamonti, the Florentine art collector and owner of Tornabuoni Arte, has embarked on a new project. Beginning March 25, Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni will open its doors to the public with an exhibition of selected works from Casamonti’s private collection, spanning from the early 1900s to the 1960s. “It’s a project that I’ve had in mind for four or five years,” says Casamonti, “a desire that I had that slowly formalized over time. Of course, if I hadn’t found a place that fascinated me, Palazzo Salimbeni in the heart of Florence, I probably wouldn’t have moved forward with it. I happened to have the chance to purchase this beautiful space, in a historic building, and I thought that it could be where I could display a part of my collection to the public, which I’m very attached to and don’t plan to cede.”

The exhibition will rotate, according to current plans. The space will host the first part of Casamonti’s collection until May 10, 2019, before being restaged with works dating from the 1960s to today. The works on display this year cover a wide range of artists and movements: Futurism, Arte Povera, Pop-Art and Minimalism are heavily featured, among others, as are artists such as Picasso, Yves Klein, Paul Klee, Emilio Vedova, Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana and Umberto Boccioni, though the list goes on.

Together, the works represent the evolution of art throughout the 20th century, the conveyance of which Casamonti considers vital. “Opening part of the collection to the public reflects my firm belief that art should be loved for what it is, for its educational value and the emotions it can arouse, and not based on its economic value, and even less for its role as a vehicle of social status.”

Entrance to the new museum is free until May 31, 2018. Opening times are from Wednesday to Sunday, 11.30 am to 7pm.