The City Art Collection
At the close of a temporary exhibition on 18th century bolognese art
held in 1935, the municipal body decided to create a permanent museum,
in the same space that had once been the apartment of the Cardinal
Legate.
In October 1936, the City Art Collection opened.
Two years later, Guido Zucchini published the collection’s
first catalogue. Despite the initial fervor, with which it opened, the
museum closed shortly after the war and reopened with difficulty in
1951.
After several closures and re-openings, the museum started a new era in
the nineties that culminated in 2002 with the addition of rooms 5 to
10, and the opening of a section dedicated to Pelagio Pelagi in 2004.
Today, the museum contains 22 rooms and covers a total area of about
2500 square meters. It houses some of the most paintings of Italian and
European art history including: the Gonfaloniere by Artemisia
Gentileschi, Ruth by Francesco Hayez, la Maddalena by Luca Signorelli,
Portrait of a Senator by Jacopo Tintoretto, and the portrait of
Cincinnato Baruzzi, executed by the Russian realist Karl Brullov.
On the walls of the Vidoniana Gallery, we see 21 works by the
painter Donato Creti, his complete set in one collection, which
demonstrates the artist’s capabilities, as well as those of
the Boloneese school of the 18th century.
Other significant items from the Boloneese school include: the Saint
Catherine by Ludovico Carracci, the Two Saints and the
Portrait of Cardinal Prospero Lambertini by Giuseppe Maria Crespi and
the Madonna of the Milk by Amico Aspertini.
Collections of particular interest include: a set of miniatures from
the 17th to the 19th century, a set of pottery, currently in storage
and the Aemilia Ars collection of lace and embroidery displayed in room
3.
Thus, the City Art Collection is closely linked to Bologna’s
political history, to the bolognesi families, and to distinguished men,
collectors and artists. The decorated rooms, with their marvelous view,
paired with the quality of the exhibits, makes the City Art Collection
a must for a curious visitor, looking to explore the city or for a
Bologna's native, in search of the past and its traditions.
