“But why do so many pre-eminent Italian artists of the new generations, who are so smart, so committed, so creative, have such trouble raising their profile on the international scene? If they don't have much exposure, why don't we give them a helping hand? Let's try and do something”.
This statement has delineated from the outset, back in 2005, the mission that the founding partners assigned to Garuzzo Foundation: to promote Italian contemporary art around the world. Thirteen years later, we can start to take stock of what we have achieved, and let the facts speak for themselves.
As of 2020, Garuzzo Foundation's balance sheet displays record levels of performance, which are unrivalled in Italy: 77 exhibitions across 17 nations (Argentina, Armenia, Chile, China, Korea, Croatia, Georgia, Jordan, the UK, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Uruguay); international circulations that have taken Italian art from one end of the world to another; art “bridges” linking cities together.
The exhibition has historically been the most dynamic and effective medium through which contemporary art reaches the public and the collectors. With great care and passion, through its exhibitions Garuzzo Foundation endeavours to give international visibility to up-and-coming Italian artists. It does so by flanking them with more established “masters” and by constructively comparing the youngsters with esteemed artists in every part of the world.
Giving young artists the opportunity to come together and compare and contrast their experiences, while being exposed to artistic and cultural environments other than those of their home countries – the aim of this approach is to enrich their wealth of expertise and help them to open up towards new perspectives and new successes. Alongside exhibition projects, our commitment is marked out by our continuing dedication to a number of competitions that offer, as prizes, art residences for young Italian and non-Italian artists.
Housed in the Castiglia in Saluzzo and classed as one of the “Contemporary Sites” recognised by the Italian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Permanent Collection and Exhibition is one of the cornerstones of the entire Garuzzo Foundation project. Conceived with a view to offering a continuously up-to-date vision of the art trends in our country, over the years it has benefitted from the input of more than 90 artists and a total of around 100 works. In this way, it can also provide the local area with an effective tool for cultural popularisation, in partnership with the municipal authorities.
Garuzzo Foundation's national and international operations are carried out on the basis of a rich, annual and multi-year programme, characterised by rigorous research, by artworks of the highest quality and by a number of constants in the form of events that are now features in the annual calendar.
Over the years, the Garuzzo Foundation has developed partnerships and exchanges with museums, schools and universities, curators, galleries, foundations and associations, cities, public and private bodies, and – above all – with artists, who today form part of a network of relationships, many of which have turned into bona fide friendships and which extend across at least a dozen countries. The Garuzzo Foundation is in large part funded by its founding partners, who cover most of its infrastructural costs, but contributions from public bodies and a number of prestigious private partners make a tangible difference to the institute’s output.