The collections housed in Forte di Belvedereoffer an exceptional anthology of Italian art from the 1930s and the Second World War.

The collection of Alberto Della Ragione, as well as the Fei-Rosai and Palazzeschi bequests, have been housed here at length, although not permanently, while awaiting relocation in the soon-to-be-opened Museo del Novecento.

The majority of the exhibits belong to the collection gathered by the refined collector and generous patron Alberto Della Ragione starting in 1931, and donated to the city of Florence in 1970. For many of the artists represented he was a friend and patron, ready to take them in and help them through the difficult war years as part of his commitment to support the young generations in their development of innovative figurative languages. Through the paintings and sculptures of masters such as Campigli, de Chirico, Carrà, Morandi, de Pisis, Sironi, Mafai, Guttuso, Vedova, Manzù, Fontana and many more, we can follow the development of Italian art in the twentieth century: from Futurism to Metaphysics, from the Roman School to the group of Italians in Paris and the Corrente artists through to the experiences of the aftermath of WW2.

 

The work of Filippo de Pisis (1896-1956) is further illustrated through twelve canvases that belonged to his writer-friend Aldo Palazzeschi (1885-1974), which he donated to the University of Florence. The City Council has acquired them on loan, contributing to boost a fund for scholarships named after the writer. These paintings, amongst which we can point out the beautiful series of Still Lifes, together with those present in the Della Ragione collection, make up an important corpus which reflects the entire career of the artist. Likewise for Ottone Rosai (1895-1957): the early works of the Della Ragione collection are integrated by those from the Fei-Rosai donation to the City of Florence. The result is a rich overview of the painter’s complex artistic evolution, including an interesting series of portraits of artists, critics and contemporary friends and intellectuals, as well as some of his most famous views of the monuments of Florence.