About
The Alberto Peruzzo Foundation was established in 2015, after some projects in the non-profit and cultural sector operated by the Peruzzo Group since 2011.
History
The first project was the architectural restoration of the Venice Pavilion at the Giardini della Biennale in collaboration with Louis Vuitton to return, not only to the city of Venice but to the whole world, an exhibition space within the prestigious International Exhibition. The restoration of this important place, also from a symbolic point of view, has concretized the interest of the Foundation President for the cultural world, creating the presupposes to the establishment of Alberto Peruzzo Foundation.
The foundation has an operative office in Padua, but since its establishment also works outside of the local contest, opening to the international one. Several projects were realised in these years, for example from 2013 to 2022, the restoration of Saint Agnes Church, the new cultural centre of Alberto Peruzzo Foundation. The projects range from the protection and conservation of historical heritage (the restoration of Venice Pavilion at the Biennale and the Saint Agnes Church are two concrete examples), to the promotion and enhancement of contemporary and modern artists. Among them Alberto Biasi, with the exhibition Alberto Biasi. Tra realtà e immaginazione in Venice for the Biennale Arte 2019, Quayola with Seconda Natura at the Botanical Garden of Padua in winter 2019, and Picasso with Guernica. Icone di Pace at Palazzo Camerini in Padua in autumn 2018.
The purpose is to continue to work on different aims and create new synergies that contribute to the dissemination and enhancement of cultural heritage, in particular of contemporary art.
Mission
The Alberto Peruzzo Foundation is a non-profit institution, founded in 2015 at the behest of the entrepreneur Alberto Peruzzo, who intends to promote Contemporary Art, but at the same time it’s attentive and committed to the restoration of Cultural heritage, creating when possible a dialogue between past, present and future.
The Foundation pursues its objectives through initiatives such as: temporary exhibitions and editorial projects, collaborations and interconnections with the territory, cultural and social projects.
Collection
Alberto Peruzzo started collecting art in the late 80s. Currently the collection has more than one hundred and fifty works of art, created from the beginning of the 20th Century to the present day.
Emilio Vedova, Untitled, 1960
Painting and collage on paper
Giulio Turcato, Superficie lunare, late 60s
Mixed technique
Jean-Paul Riopelle, Avent, 1958
Oil on canvas
Tom Wesselmann, Study for Barbara and baby, 1979
Oil on canvas
Roberto Crippa, Untitled, detail, 1962
Mixed technique
Alberto Biasi, Va dove ti porta l’occhio, detail, 1991
Pvc on board
Antoni Tàpies, Manta Roya, detail, 1974
Oil on canvas
Emilio Vedova, Untitled, 1960
Painting and collage on paper
Giulio Turcato, Superficie lunare, late 60s
Mixed technique
Jean-Paul Riopelle, Avent, 1958
Oil on canvas
Tom Wesselmann, Study for Barbara and baby, 1979
Oil on canvas
Roberto Crippa, Untitled, detail, 1962
Mixed technique
Alberto Biasi, Va dove ti porta l’occhio, detail, 1991
Pvc on board
Antoni Tàpies, Manta Roya, detail, 1974
Oil on canvas
The works in the collection were created in the 10s, 20s and 30s of the last century (Giacomo Balla, Mario Sironi, Filippo De Pisis), 40s and 50s (Picasso, Dubuffet, Chagall, Léger, Casorati, Riopelle, Albers , Ernst, Mirò), 60s (Manzoni, Fontana, Vedova, De Chirico, Crippa, Carrà, Sutherland, Turcato), 70s (Christo, Wesselmann, Tapies, Jenkins, Afro, Schifano), 80s (Haring, Warhol, Tapies, Nitsch , Vedova, Garutti, Schifano), 90s (Schnabel, Schifano, Plessi, Dine, Sam Francis, Appel, Jenkins, Biasi, Music, Arman) and in the present century (Indiana, Murakami, Schnabel, Valdes, Mitoraj, Plessi, Paladino, Mastrovito, Hassan, Pegoraro), just to name a few. These works will be exhibited, in rotation, in the new cultural spaces of Saint Agnes Church.
Church
The new Cultural centre of the Alberto Peruzzo Foundation is inside the Saint Agnes church, an ancient 13th Century building located in Padua.
Vision
The idea of restoring and renovating the former church of Saint Agnes arose from the desire to create something new, more precisely a place that could become not only a point of reference for the city of Padua, but also for the community in general. Through the organisation of events and activities, the intention is to create a cultural centre where synergies and interconnections can be created to promote and disseminate art and cultural heritage.
History
Deconsecrated in 1947 by the Bishop Agostini, Saint Agnes church is located in the historical centre of Padua, in the Ponte Molino area at the corner of Via Dante and Via Sant’Agnese.
It is a mediaeval building and the first evidence dates back to a document of 1202 referring to a fire episode.The former church is located in an area that in mediaeval times was a mills commercial area.
The presence of millers, who didn’t enjoy a good social reputation, and the same area was identified as a place of prostitution, led to dedicate the church of Saint Agnes such as a symbol of purity. Ponte Molino was one of the main districts of the city of Padua, and the church was changed several times in the post- Carolingian era. Throughout the Middle Ages it was one of the reference churches of Padua. The mediaeval structure underwent several changes in four centuries, but the greatest period of enrichment and embellishment was between the 16th and 18th Century. During the Second World War a bombing destroyed part of the rectory rebuilt from scratch and at the end of the war and after the deconsecration it was selled to privates. At the end of the 40s the church became a garage and remained so until the 80s when it closed and for some years it was in a state of decay.
Unfortunately, part of the documentation relating the history of Saint Agnes is not available nowadays, but the importance of the building remains, as a physical and concrete testimony of a nerve centre of Padua city for centuries.
Restoration of Saint Agnes church
Padua, 2013–2018
Restoration of Saint Agnes church
Padua, 2013–2018
Fresco discovered in the belltower of Saint Agnes church.
Restoration of Saint Agnes church
Padua, 2013–2018
Restoration of Saint Agnes church
Padua, 2013–2018
Fresco discovered in the belltower of Saint Agnes church.
Restoring
The restoration project of Saint Agnes church began in 2013 by the President Alberto Peruzzo, who decided to create the cultural and exhibition space of the Peruzzo Collection. Over the centuries, several works were in the building which were moved after the deconsecration. For example a painting by Giandomenico Tiepolo (now located at Saint Nicholas church in Padua), some paintings by Cirello (a 17th Century artist) and others. Now other discovered works are kept in the Diocesan Museum of Padua.
The idea of the restoration is to bring back and respect the signs of time that the former church shows us; first of all the church gate , an important craftmade works characterised by the small sculpture of Saint Agnes and the decorated jambs realised at the end of 15th Century by Giovanni Maria Mosca. During the archeological excavation were funded artefact in the beneath the surface: some grave of 13th and 15th Century, in two differents levels of surface, and fresco’s fragments, probably date back to the 14th Century, attributable to Giotto’s influence, even now subject of study by the Superintendency. Among the tombs some important names of Paduan personalities were found, such as Patriarchi – author of one of the first dictionaries of the Venetian dialect – Italian (Florentine). Furthermore, during the archaeological excavations at a depth of two metres was found a trace of a Roman road which was decided to preserve and make part of the permanent exhibition in the historical area.
Not less important, another original element preserved and restored is the 15th Century bell tower, composed by a cone dome realised in brick arranged over the belfry, visible from the church inner at the end of the principal nave.
At the end of the restoration, the nave reopens to the public as a space for temporary exhibitions, while the sacristy displays an updated selection of the Foundation’s permanent collection. In the permanent archeological area, there is a selection of fresco fragments and some tombstones. The terrace is a venue for sculpture exhibitions, events and meetings.