ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Eight Books on Art Collecting Reviewed by Artribune

publication · 2026-05-05

Artribune's Marco Enrico Giacomelli reviews eight recent publications on art collecting, covering topics from the history of Art Cologne to the Doria Pamphilj collection. The books include: 'Art Cologne 1967-2016' (Walther König) on the fair's 50-year history; Stefan Zweig's 'La collezione invisibile' (Pagine d'Arte), a 1925 novella about art market issues; 'Sul buono e sul cattivo uso dei Bronzi di Riace' (Donzelli) on heritage debates; 'Scuola romana e Novecento italiano' (Skira) featuring collectors Claudio and Elena Cerasi; Federico Giannini's 'Un patrimonio da riconquistare' (Talos) criticizing volunteer-run heritage; 'Passione Barocco' (Quodlibet) on the Ducrot collection of 17th-century Italian and French paintings; 'Artists living with art' (Abrams) showing homes of 30 artists including Francesco Clemente; and 'Collezione Doria Pamphilj' (Silvana Editoriale), a catalog of the Roman palace's 500-year-old collection featuring Velázquez's Innocent X.

Key facts

  • Art Cologne was founded in 1967 as Kunstmarkt Köln by Hein Stünke and Rudolf Zwirner, renamed in 1984.
  • Stefan Zweig's novella 'La collezione invisibile' from 1925 addresses art market issues.
  • The Ducrot collection focuses exclusively on 17th-century Italian and French figure paintings.
  • Claudio and Elena Cerasi have been collecting for 35 years.
  • Francesco Clemente's home includes works by Beuys, Wright, and Füssli.
  • The Doria Pamphilj collection spans 500 years and includes Velázquez's portrait of Innocent X.
  • Federico Giannini argues against relying on volunteers for heritage management.
  • The books are published by Walther König, Pagine d'Arte, Donzelli, Skira, Talos, Quodlibet, Abrams, and Silvana Editoriale.

Entities

Artists

  • Hein Stünke
  • Rudolf Zwirner
  • Stefan Zweig
  • Claudio Cerasi
  • Elena Cerasi
  • Francesco Clemente
  • Joseph Beuys
  • Frank Lloyd Wright
  • Johann Heinrich Füssli
  • Diego Velázquez
  • Innocent X
  • Maurizio Fagiolo dell'Arco
  • Federico Giannini
  • Letizia Treves
  • Stacey Goergen
  • Amanda Benchley
  • Andrea G. De Marchi
  • Marco Enrico Giacomelli

Institutions

  • Art Cologne
  • Kunstmarkt Köln
  • Walther König
  • Pagine d'Arte
  • Donzelli
  • Skira
  • Talos
  • Quodlibet
  • Abrams
  • Silvana Editoriale
  • Artribune
  • Palazzo Doria Pamphilj

Locations

  • Cologne
  • Germany
  • Miami
  • Italy
  • Rome

Sources