Painting and Sculpture
The Archive preserves paintings and sculptures by artists from the late nineteenth century to the first half of the twentieth century. Their languages range from Modernism to Futurism (Plinio Nomellini, Aroldo Bonzagni, Giacomo Balla, Osvaldo Licini), from Expressionism to Metaphysics (Aroldo Bonzagni, Ram, Gigiotti Zanini), from Novecento to Ritorno all’ordine (Mario Sironi, Achille Funi). Together, these artists contribute to multiple thematic areas of the collection. Among the sculptures, the collection includes works by Renato Bertelli, Ercole Drei, Giorgio Morigi, Giovanni Romagnoli, Ram and Thayaht.
Advertising and Graphic Design
Sketches, packaging, magazines, and books trace the history of Italian advertising and graphic design, from the early twentieth century to the 1960s. The extensive poster collection includes works by leading Italian illustrators and graphic artists (Marcello Dudovich, Fortunato Depero, Gino Boccasile, Leonetto Cappiello, Bruno Munari, Erberto Carboni), often at work for major Italian companies (Alemagna, Motta , Barilla, Campari, Cisitalia, Fiat, Pirelli). The collection includes billboards printed on stone, following the old lithographic method, as well as posters made with the innovative technologies of offset printing, which contaminate different languages (photographic montage and typography). An important collection of posters comes from the Archivio Arti Grafiche Ricordi.
Photography
Several collections of photographs, both artistic and documentary, illustrate Italy from the end of the nineteenth century to the 1970s. One can observe the evolution of landscape (Vittorio Sella, Gianni Berengo Gardin) and society (Arturo Ghergo, Filippo Masoero), the history of business and labor (Bruno Munari) and the protagonists of Italian cinema and the changes in the Italian lifestyle (Ugo Mulas, Pino Settanni).
Collage and Photo Collage
collages and photo collages illustrate from the 1920s to the 1970s the late-futurist experimentations through the work of Thayaht and Bruno Munari, as well as graphic design projects produced by Ram, Riccardo Ricas and Studio Boggeri for magazines and advertising firms.
Ephemera
Letters, written testimonials, brochures, advertising material, diplomas and postcards documenting the political climate, the social and cultural development of Italy from the end of the nineteenth century to the 1960s. Of particular significance is the collection of Futurist manifestos, the correspondence from the Arctic expedition “Stella Polare” led by the Duke of Abruzzi in the early 1900s, the correspondence from the flight across the Atlantic made by Italo Balbo in 1932, and letters signed by Gabriele D’Annunzio.
Books, Magazines, and Journals
The Archive’s collection of books, magazines and journals covers the first seventy years of the twentieth century, documenting the evolution of social and artistic trends through the printed page: the collection includes futurist experimental books and propaganda magazines (La rivista illustrata del Popolo d’Italia 1925-1940, Ali d’Italia); artist books (Bruno Munari, Mario Sironi), trade publications (L’ufficio moderno 1934-1938) and current affairs magazines (Tempo 1950-1970, Epoca 1950-1970).
Drawings
Drawings, sketches, and projects, from the 1930s to the 1970s, illustrating the work of artists, architects, and designers of the period. Of particular interest is the collection of EUR 42 drawings, the Virgilio Marchi archive, the drawings made during the X and XI Milan Triennal (Piero Consagra, Lucio Fontana, Bruno Munari) and by Lorenzo Castellaro and Pinin Farina for Cisitalia and Olivetti.
