The Foundation was started in 1979 according to the wishes of the renowned painter Antonio Calderara, who lived in this house in Vacciago near Ameno until the mid seventies. The collection consists of a grand total of 327 art works by 133 painters and sculptors from various parts of the world.

The permanent exhibition brings together works by artists who had had some contact with Calderara, giving rise to its title “The history of Antonio Calderara and a selection of artists who were his contemporaries and friends.”  The collection includes trend-setting works from a period between 1920 and 1978, arranged by Calderara himself in his 17th century house in Vacciago, which also belongs to the Foundation.

The sculptures and paintings on display belong to the avant-garde movements which were milestones of 20th century art: from pop-art to kinetic art, right through to visual poetry. What all these works have in common, however, is their tendency to the abstract, which was a favourite style of Calderara’s, especially in the second half of his career, when his inclinations took him in the direction of geometric lines and the representation of light. However, there are also figurative paintings – portraits, landscapes and still lifes – by the artist, starting from the 20s (his first personal exhibition was held in 1923 in the Maulini Hotel in Vacciago).

The artists whose works are on display include Lucio Fontana, Jochims Reimer, Piero Manzoni, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Vasarely Victor and Abe Nobuya. They are all artists who had a professional and personal connection with Antonio Calderara, and his way of thanking them for their collaboration and friendship was to exhibit their works, in a precise order which under the terms of the artist’s will cannot be changed.

Admission free.

Opening hours: May to October, 10.00 – 12.00 and 15.00 – 18.00. Closed Mondays.