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Giovanni Bonotto and Chiara Casarin Discuss Art, Industry, and Museums in Artribune Podcast

other · 2026-04-27

In a recent episode of the Artribune podcast, Contemporaneamente, Giovanni Bonotto and Chiara Casarin engage in a dialogue about the intersection of art, industry, and museums. Bonotto, who oversees Bonotto SpA—established in 1912 and part of the Ermenegildo Zegna group since 2017—stresses the importance of creativity within a small productive community. The company is managed by his brothers, Lorenzo and Giovanni. Additionally, Bonotto leads the Fondazione Bonotto, which has been championing the Luigi Bonotto collection since the 1970s and supports the 'Fabbrica Lenta' concept. Casarin, a curator of contemporary art and vice president of 'A Collection,' where Bonotto serves as president, shares insights on museums as imaginative factories. The podcast explores themes of authenticity, luxury, and hypercommunication.

Key facts

  • Giovanni Bonotto is owner and artistic director of Bonotto SpA, a textile manufacturer founded in 1912 by Luigi Bonotto.
  • Bonotto SpA has been part of the Ermenegildo Zegna group since 2017.
  • Chiara Casarin is a contemporary art curator with a PhD from Venice and Paris.
  • Casarin serves on the scientific committee of the Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia.
  • Casarin was director of Musei Civici di Bassano del Grappa from 2016 to 2020.
  • Bonotto and Casarin are president and vice president respectively of 'A Collection', an artist residency program.
  • The podcast is part of the Contemporaneamente series on Artribune.
  • The podcast discusses themes of factory as creative source, museum as imagination factory, and authenticity.

Entities

Artists

  • Giovanni Bonotto
  • Chiara Casarin
  • Luigi Bonotto
  • Mariantonietta Firmani

Institutions

  • Artribune
  • Bonotto SpA
  • Ermenegildo Zegna
  • Fondazione Bonotto
  • Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia
  • Fondazione Canova Onlus
  • Musei Civici di Treviso
  • Biblioteca Internazionale La Vigna
  • Musei Civici di Bassano del Grappa
  • Fondazione Giorgio e Isa de Chirico
  • Fondazione Benetton Iniziative Culturali
  • Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa
  • Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e Paesaggistici di Venezia e Laguna
  • Fondazione Giorgio Cini
  • A Collection
  • Università degli Studi di Bologna
  • Scuola Studi Avanzati, Venezia
  • École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Parigi

Locations

  • Venezia
  • Italy
  • Possagno
  • Treviso
  • Vicenza
  • Bassano del Grappa
  • Roma
  • Parigi
  • France

Sources