Pennelli Cinghiale opens museum with contemporary art interventions

Italian paintbrush manufacturer Pennelli Cinghiale, founded in 1945 by Commendatore Alfredo Boldrini, inaugurated its own museum last May at its factory in Cicognara, Mantua. The Museo del Tempo di Pennelli Cinghiale features contemporary art interventions by Milanese street artist Guido DutyGorn, who created a mural titled Time Mirror on the factory facade, inspired by pop art. Inside, his installation Upside Down covers the ceiling with colored brushes, alongside works like Abstraction, Pennelli nel tempo, and Retouché. The museum displays multimedia kiosks, historical documents, photographs, the technical sheet for the 'Katy' brush (named after Boldrini's daughter Catiuscia), a promissory note bought on eBay, accident registers, and awards. CEO Eleonora Calavalle, granddaughter of the founder, stated: 'It is always from a brush that a great work begins.' The museum is open by appointment Monday to Friday, with guided tours available. The company became famous for a 1970s TV commercial featuring a painter and a traffic policeman, created by Ignazio Colnaghi with actor Vincenzo De Toma.