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The Collection of Italian Contemporary Art at the Farnesina Palace in Rome

Inside the Palazzo della Farnesina, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs houses a rich collection of over 200 works of contemporary painting and sculpture.

The exhibit, started by then Foreign Minister Amintore Fanfani in the 1960s, was taken up again and revived in December 1999 by then Secretary General Umberto Vattani.

The project was begun to bring harmony between the "container" and the "contents" of the abstract, geometric spaces of the Palazzo Farnesina, and above all, to foster appreciation and knowledge of 20th century Italian art in Italy and abroad.
It is a demonstration of our country's vigour and creative vitality and emphasises the strategic importance that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attributes to cultural and artistic production for Italian foreign policy.

Many of the works distributed through the rooms, hallways and offices belong to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They include mosaics by Luigi Montanarini, Toti Scialoja and Sandro Chia, "Riflessi" by Pietro Consagra, "Squarcio" by Osvaldo Calò, "Sfera grande" by Arnaldo Pomodoro and "Porta bandiera" by Pietro Cascella, the latter located in the large square just outside the main entrance. The other works are on display thanks to two-year renewable loans from foundations and private collections.

Over the years, works have been exhibited by Afro, Angeli, Balla, Boetti, Burri, Cambellotti, Capogrossi, Caroli, Carrà, Cascella, Cucchi, De Chirico, Depero, Dorazio, Guttuso, Levi, Mafai, Melotti, Mirko, Monachesi, Morlotti, Novelli, Perilli, Pirandello, Plessi, Scanavino, Schifano, Severini, Sironi, Soffici and Turcato to name just a few.
Maurizio Calvesi and Paolo Portoghesi were the curators of the catalogue Artisti Italiani del XX secolo alla Farnesina (Italian Artists of the 20th Century at the Farnesina).
In the introduction, Calvesi underlined the "vitality and freshness of a tradition of art which, in Italy, is far from being depleted with the glories of the past, but has shown extraordinary capacity for renewal."

In 2003, with the encouragement of Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and Director General of Promotion and Cultural Cooperation Ambassador Francesco Aloisi de Larderel, the collection acquired new works and a new exhibit was organised.

The curator is Prof. Lorenzo Canova and the exhibit is entitled "La collezione di arte contemporanea italiana alla Farnesina" (The Contemporary Art Collection at the Farnesina).
It includes a survey of the last generation of Italian art with about 50 works representing the main trends, from photography to installation, abstract currents, more naturalistic figurative painting, new sculpture, media image painting, videos and digital art. The panorama is a striking sample of the present complex artistic climate of young Italian art.

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