Giorgio Franchetti: A Legendary Italian Collector's Candid Interview

In an uncommon interview, the late baron Giorgio Franchetti (1920-2006) shares insights from his 60-year journey as a distinguished Italian art collector. His enthusiasm ignited in the late 1930s upon encountering a painting by Giorgio de Chirico. At the age of twenty, he acquired his first pieces and became a significant supporter of Rome's Galleria La Tartaruga, backing artists such as Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana, and Cy Twombly, who is married to his sister Tatiana. Franchetti opted to sell his American Pop Art collection to focus on Italian art, which he regarded as a 'gamble.' His collection features works by Twombly and Sandro Chia. He also highlights de Chirico's work and mentions Giacomo Balla's 1914 drawing, which foreshadows Einstein's theory of relativity. He inherited his collecting legacy from his grandfather, who purchased Ca' d'Oro in 1894.