In Bologna, the exhibition halls of Casa Saraceni, headquarters of Fondazione Carisbo, are hosting an exhibition that brings together a selection of the artworks that have become part of Fondazione Carisbo’s Art and History Collections from 2017 to the present. The exhibition, FOR THE "HISTORY OF BOLOGNA. Donations and Art Acquisitions of the Fondazione Carisbo (2017-2025), which will remain open to the public until Nov. 30, 2025, presents paintings, sculptures, drawings, and engravings, the result of both acquisitions and donations from private citizens, families, and artists’ heirs. The exhibition focuses on the way these contributions helped to complement and enrich the original heritage of the Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna, which later merged into the Foundation.
The initiative, curated by Angelo Mazza, curator of the Foundation’s Art and History Collections, aims to show the public the process by which the city’s artistic heritage has expanded in recent years. The increase in donations is interpreted as a sign of a growing sensitivity to the public function of art. Citizens who have given up ownership of works in favor of the Foundation have made possible a collective enjoyment that would otherwise have remained confined to a private and restricted sphere. The institution, through its activities, stands as the custodian of the historical and artistic heritage of the territory, with the aim of preserving it, protecting it and making it available to future generations.
Donations of antique works include nuclei of particular interest. On display is Jacopo Alessandro Calvi ’s model for the painting depicting St. Francis imploring the Virgin’s protection on pilgrims, now kept in the church of Santa Maria della Vita. The work entered the collections thanks to the donation of Michelangelo Poletti. Another relevant piece is the Portrait of Pope Lambertini, executed in the workshop of French painter Pierre Subleyras, which came through the donation of the Furio Farabegoli Foundation. Rare volumes and texts were added to the library holdings, such as the Statuta Urbis Ferrariae from 1624, donated by Antonietta Di Marzio Gaist, and the Graduale de Tempore, made available by Paola Martelli. Also the 18th-century work La Caccia giocosa.Inventions by Gioseffo Maria Mitelli, dated 1745, entered the collection thanks to the contribution of Piero Paci and Giovanna Bolelli.
While ancient donations have broadened the panorama of the collections, the largest part of the acquisitions concerns theNovecento. Works from the last century offer a glimpse into artists with ties to Bologna, though often active in national and international contexts. This is the case, among others, of Bruno Pulga and Concetto Pozzati, major figures in the Italian artistic debate of the second half of the twentieth century, who, despite having worked beyond regional borders, maintained close ties with the city. Numerous other artists have made their mark on Bologna’s cultural life through their roles as teachers at such educational institutions as the Academy of Fine Arts, the Liceo Artistico and the Istituto d’Arte. These include Emilio Contini, Nino Corrado Corazza, Ugo Guidi, Ilario Rossi and Luigi Vignali, along with Pozzati himself.
Given the large number of works received, the exhibition had to adopt selective criteria. The exhibition therefore presents a representative set, which does not fully cover the totality of the donations but gives the visitor an important picture of the most relevant acquisitions. Many of the donations have already been the subject of dedicated exhibitions, accompanied by printed catalogs. This is the case of the Tiziano Bonazzi donation, with works by Mario Bonazzi, exhibited in 2018; the Catia Mantovan donation, with works by Luigi Vignali, presented in 2021; the Barbara Buldrini donation, including works by Ugo Guidi, shown to the public in 2022; and the two exhibitions in 2022 and 2023 related to the Laura Coppi Giuliari donation, dedicated to Francesco Giuliari. Finally, an exhibition on the donation of Giovanni Barducci, which brought works by Maria Petroni into the collections, was organized in 2025.
The exhibition will be open until Nov. 30, 2025, with visiting hours Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A special opening is planned for European Heritage Days: Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free. The exhibition is accompanied by a digital catalog published by Sillabe.
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| At the Carisbo Foundation of Bologna, new works acquired and donated since 2017 |
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