Archives
Fondazione Boschi Di Stefano
has acquired and preserves archival collections linked to important figures in the artistic and critical landscape of the 20th century, such as the Mercedes Precerruti Garberi (1927-2007) collection, former Director of the Civiche Raccolte d’Arte di Milano (Milan Civic Art Collections); the Liana Bortolon (1923-2020) collection, journalist and art critic; and the collection of drawings (albums), photographs, and letters by the painter Giannino Grossi (1889-1969).
M. Garberi’s personal archive consists of a variety of materials, such as photographs and manuscripts, whose richness allows for the riconstruction of her critical methodology and the genesis of museum installations and important exhibitions.
The Bortolon Collection includes articles, photographs depicting her together with artists and intellectuals, as well as a collection of correspondence with personalities from the historical and artistic context, such as Ennio Morlotti, which reveal her versatility and connections.
The Grossi collection consists of ‘Photographs and documents’ and ‘Workshop materials’ which, when compared with photographs of paintings and painted ceramics, provide an insight into the various stages of his creative process.
Finally, the archive contains a collection of Super 8 films depicting the Boschi Di Stefano couple on their frequent travels.
Library
Fondazione Boschi Di Stefano's library
consists of approximately 3,300 volumes, the most significant part of this collection comes from the private library of art historian Ettore Camesasca (1922-1995), to which are added two book collections linked to the personal archives of the Director of the Civic Art Collections of Milan, Mercedes Precerutti Garberi (1927-2007), and journalist and art critic Liana Bortolon (1923-2020).
The library collection is completed by a section dedicated to monographs and texts related to the history of art and collecting in the 20th century.
The furnishings
Among Antonio Boschi's testamentary wishes
it was stipulated that the apartment at via Jan 15, where he and Marieda had long lived, should be opened to the public as a house-museum, hosting a selection of the works they had collected.
For reasons of security and conservation, it was not possible to maintain the original integrity of what Ornella Selvafolta describes as “an inhabited museum” where “the spaces, the setup, the furnishings appear almost ‘’subjugated’ to the reasons of art.” Therefore, only a few original pieces of furniture were recovered – including a small table designed by Piero Portaluppi and the Bechstein piano. Thus, Fondazione Boschi Di Stefano proceeded to acquire the necessary additions, making choices consistent with both the era of the building and the exhibited works.
In the former guest room, there is now a complete study set produced by the Ducrot company of Palermo around 1930, while the monographic room dedicated to Mario Sironi features a dining room designed by the same artist and presented in 1936 at the VI Triennale di Milano.
Also noteworthy are the dining room furniture designed by Gino Levi Montalcini in 1949-50 and the “Agena” chandelier, from the Galassia collection, conceived by Alessandro Mendini and created by Venini in 1993, installed in the former bedroom of the Boschi couple.