Between the 19th and 20th centuries

The works in the collection of Aldo Ciulli, a lawyer and a collector of a unique kind, date from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries; he was driven not so much by the quest for masterpieces as by a consistent cultural sensibility and personal relationships with the artists.

The Ciulli collection reveals a consistent preference for figurative art with a realist bent, far removed both from the ideological excesses of the post-war period and from the most radical avant-garde movements. This is evidenced by paintings by Luigi Bertelli, Mosè Bianchi, Silvestro Lega, Filippo Palizzi, Telemaco Signorini and Pietro Fragiacomo, who share a focus on landscape, everyday life and a vision of nature that is engaged yet measured.

In the 20th century, the collection expands to include artists such as Lorenzo Viani, Filippo de Pisis, Felice Carena and Carlo Carrà, whilst maintaining a firm link with a tradition which, though constantly renewing itself, never ceases to engage with the past.