The artistic heritage of Intesa Sanpaolo is enriched by one of the most important collections of contemporary art, the Luigi and Peppino Agrati collection, following the decision of the Cav. Luigi Agrati to donate the entire complex of works to the Bank.
A selection of works from the collection, which will make an extraordinary contribution to the international dimension of Intesa Sanpaolo's artistic heritage, will be exhibited, thanks to the availability of Mariuccia Agrati, wife of Cav. Luigi Agrati, at the Gallerie d'Italia – Piazza Scala in Milan in the exhibition “Art as revelation. Works from the Luigi and Peppino Agrati collection”, from Wednesday 16 May to Sunday 19 August. The exhibition project is curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, with the general coordination of Gianfranco Brunelli.
The Luigi and Peppino Agrati collection was created starting in 1968 by the two important industrialists, heirs and exponents of the enlightened Lombard bourgeoisie. After Peppino's death, the baton was taken up by his brother Luigi who, together with his wife, decided to donate this treasure to Intesa Sanpaolo. These are unique works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Rauschenberg, Christo, and, alongside them, a large group of among the most prestigious Italian artists, including Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Mario Schifano, Alberto Burri, Fausto Melotti. With many of them, the Agrati have had a relationship of dialogue and friendship. From the Informal to Pop Art, from Arte Povera to Conceptual Art up to Neo-expressionism and the Transavantgarde, the collection crosses and intertwines the movements that have marked the path of not only Italian but international art in the second half of the twentieth century.
Giovanni Bazoli, President Emeritus of Intesa Sanpaolo, comments: “The Luigi and Peppino Agrati collection, one of the most important art collections of the second half of the twentieth century in Italy, will become part of the Intesa Sanpaolo collections thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the Knight of Labor Luigi Agrati. Next May, a significant selection of works from this collection will be presented to the public for the first time in the Gallerie di Piazza Scala in Milan. It will be an exceptional opportunity to admire and compare unpublished masterpieces of XNUMXth century Italian, European and American art. The exhibition also aims to be a memory and a tribute to Luigi Agrati who, together with his brother Peppino, gave life to a collection that stands out worldwide in the context of private art collections.”
The collection is the result of a deep passion, an intellectual and social sensitivity aimed at individual artists and the context in which they operate. The collection reveals the close relationship that existed between the collector, the artist and the meaning of the work of art.
