The Civic Art Museum was established in 1962 from the division of the Civic Museum – founded in 1871 – into two sections: archaeological-ethnological and historical-artistic. Founded after the Unification of Italy, the institute’s primary vocation stems from being a place dedicated to the preservation of “homeland memories” and the affirmation of civic identity, and it is in this context that the rich collection complex characterizing it acquires full meaning. It is a vast and heterogeneous heritage including: paintings, sculptures, ceramics, glass, musical instruments, scientific instruments, decorated papers, textiles, etc., largely related to the local figurative culture and artisanal production. Many items come from the donation of important private collections or sporadic gifts, supplemented over time by acquisitions and recoveries that significantly contribute to documenting the history and culture of the territory. The exhibition path unfolds through a series of rooms that have preserved the layout received at the beginning of the twentieth century, characterized by large wall-mounted display cases. Among the most notable groups are the textile collection, donated by Count Luigi Alberto Gandini, consisting of over two thousand fragments of fabrics, lace, ribbons, and embroidery dating between the 12th and 19th centuries, and the Campori Gallery, donated to the Municipality of Modena in 1929, which features paintings by Lana, Ferrari, Ceruti, Joli, Manfredi, Regnier, Crespi, Stringa, and Cerano. The sacred art room houses the large Madonna of Piazza by Begarelli, fragments of 13th-14th century frescoes torn from the Cathedral, sculptures and liturgical furnishings from the 12th-15th centuries, and various paintings by Modena authors from the 16th-18th centuries, including Stringa, Caula, Consetti, and Zoboli, originating from the area. Also noteworthy are the collections of scientific instruments, donated by the Physics Cabinet of the University and rich in devices constructed in the university workshop; musical instruments, donated by Luigi Francesco Valdrighi – highlighting Pietro Termanini’s Harpsichord (1741) and brass instruments by Antonio Apparuti (first half of the 19th century); and weapons, a gift from Paolo Coccapani Imperiali. Other collections are dedicated to casts; ceramics, including Emilian graffiti and examples of Sassuolo production spanning the 13th-19th centuries; glass; decorated papers documenting various techniques; embossed and gilded leathers; architectural terracottas recovered from the area; Modena weights and measures; seals; stamps, etc. Modena’s figurative culture from the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century is represented by works of Malatesta, Muzzioli, Cappelli, Cavazza, Bellei, Valli, and other artists trained at the Academy of Fine Arts, currently displayed, due to lack of space, in the representative rooms of the City Hall. The Museum also houses the rich Giuseppe Graziosi Fund (Savignano sul Panaro 1879 – Florence 1942). The artist’s successful career is documented by terracottas, original plasters, bronzes, paintings, and a graphic archive – including drawings, engravings, and lithographs – exhibited in the Gipsoteca located on the ground floor of the Palazzo dei Musei, while the photographic archive donated by his heirs between 1975 and 1999 is consultable online on the Museum’s website.
Information about Modena Civic Art Museum
Viale Vittorio Veneto, 5,
41121 Modena (Modena)
0592033100
museo.arte@comune.modena.it
https://www.comune.modena.it/museoarte
Source: MIBACT
