The Bank: New Cultural Foundation Launches in Bassano del Grappa

A new cultural foundation called The Bank has opened in Bassano del Grappa, housed in a former branch of Banca Commerciale Italiana. The private collection, led by president Antonio Menon and collections conservator Paolo Zanatta, focuses on figurative painting and outsider artists who have been marginalized or distanced from the art market. The foundation's secretary general Cesare Biasini Selvaggi curated the inaugural exhibition 'Pittura segreta' together with Zanatta. The show features 85 works selected from the collection of about 1,000 pieces, including pieces by Andrea Martinelli, Barbara De Vivi, Giovanni Gasparo, Sergio Padovani, and Marco Fantini. The upper floor is dedicated to a solo exhibition of Michele Moro, featuring 18 oil on canvas works titled 'Champions League' that blend hyperrealism with surreal details. Menon began collecting in the early 2000s with a work by Tiberio Grego, and since 2016 has focused on Italian figurative artists, driven by emotional responses to the works. The foundation aims to become a research and training center for figurative art.