Fondazione Cerasi to Open in Rome in 2017

The Fondazione Elena e Claudio Cerasi is set to open in Rome in 2017, housed in a restored early 20th-century building on Via Merulana in the Esquilino district. The foundation will display the Cerasi family's collection of works from the Scuola Romana and Novecento, including pieces by Donghi, Pirandello, Mafai, Raphael, Casorati, and Depero, alongside large sculptures visible through transparent glass arcades. The project, designed by architect Carlo Lococo, spans two buildings: one of about 1,000 square meters for offices intended as a cultural hub, and a larger 2,000-square-meter structure featuring a sculpture gallery, internal courtyard, piano nobile for painting exhibitions, temporary exhibition spaces, and a top-floor restaurant with a terrace. The Cerasi family, construction entrepreneurs behind iconic projects like Zaha Hadid's MAXXI and ABDR's Teatro dell'Opera di Firenze, are donating the collection to the city. The foundation aims to be a dynamic cultural machine generating events, sponsorships, and jobs, with artistic direction still being selected. The building, protected by the Soprintendenza, retains its original structure but includes contemporary elements like internal stairs and a white metal mesh on a blind wall. The opening is scheduled for mid-2017, coinciding with the anticipated launch of the Fondazione Alda Fendi, designed by Jean Nouvel.