Francesco Cerruti's Eclectic Collection Transforms into Museum-House in Rivoli
In Rivoli, close to Turin, a private collection belonging to Francesco Federici Cerruti has been transformed into a public museum-house. Cerruti (1922-2015), a notable figure in the printing industry, led a humble life while curating an impressive assortment of 300 paintings, sculptures, 300 pieces of furniture, and 200 rare books. His collection includes works by renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, and Pablo Picasso, deliberately steering clear of Italian Arte Povera. Prior to his passing, he founded an organization to safeguard his collection, which he left without heirs. Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev oversaw the acquisition from 2016 to 2019, preserving the home's intimate atmosphere. Cerruti's final acquisition was Renoir's 'Young Woman with Roses' in 2014. Although the house lacked a functional kitchen, it served as his personal venue for art enjoyment.
Key facts
- Francesco Federici Cerruti (1922-2015) was a reclusive Italian printing magnate who built one of Europe's most impressive private art collections.
- His collection includes 300 paintings and sculptures, 300 furniture pieces, and 200 rare books, featuring works from the 14th century to contemporary artists like Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon.
- Cerruti lived modestly in Turin but assembled the collection in a modernist country house in Rivoli, built for his parents in the 1960s, which he used only on Sundays.
- He established a foundation before his death, and the Castello di Rivoli was chosen to administer the museum-house, with Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev organizing the acquisition from 2016 to 2019.
- The collection has an international focus, avoiding Italian Arte Povera, and includes modernists like Kandinsky, Miró, Renoir, Chagall, Schiele, Giacometti, Magritte, and Picasso.
- Cerruti's final acquisition in 2014 was Renoir's 'Young Woman with Roses' (1897), purchased at a Sotheby's auction.
- Christov-Bakargiev preserved the domestic atmosphere of the house, contrasting it with typical white cube museum spaces, and compared it to Orhan Pamuk's Museum of Innocence in Istanbul.
- The house in Rivoli, where Cerruti slept only once, lacked basic amenities like gas in the kitchen but served as his personal sanctuary for art appreciation.
Entities
Artists
- Francesco Federici Cerruti
- Andy Warhol
- Francis Bacon
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Joan Miró
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- Marc Chagall
- Egon Schiele
- Alberto Giacometti
- René Magritte
- Pablo Picasso
- Giorgio Morandi
- Giorgio de Chirico
- Lucio Fontana
- Giacomo Balla
- Amedeo Modigliani
- Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
- Orhan Pamuk
Institutions
- Castello di Rivoli
- Sotheby's
- Museum of Innocence
Locations
- Turin
- Italy
- Rivoli
- Istanbul
- Turkey