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CHAPTER 5 | RATTI, ADDING VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE REGION

5.4
Ratti and the Foundation
supporting culture “CULTURE IS ENTRUSTING
TO CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE AND TO
RENEWAL THE STILLNESS
“Culture is entrusting to critical knowledge and to WE RECEIVE FROM THE PAST
renewal the stillness we receive from the past and AND FROM THE PRESENT.”
from the present”, Antonio Ratti, 1990. ANTONIO RATTI, 1990
Ratti supports the Antonio Ratti Foundation in
the promotion of initiatives, with the objective of
spreading the culture of beauty as the primary
source of creativity. ”Antonio’s dream: a journey between
art and fabric”
The Antonio Ratti Foundation was founded
in 1985 and is chaired by Annie Ratti. It is a From 10 October 2021 to 31 January that lives on to this day. Combining
not-for-profit institution that disseminates 2022, the Antonio Ratti Foundation antique textile articles, contemporary
culture, history and global trends in textiles presented, at Como, the exhibition works of art and materials from the
and contemporary art. Thanks to its calendar of “Antonio’s dream: a journey between archive, the exhibition covers the life,
courses and exhibitions, the Foundation’s goal art and fabric”. Curated by Lorenzo work and vision of the businessman and
patron Antonio Ratti.
Benedetti, Annie Ratti and Maddalena
is to promote research and studies that will Terragni, it was an exhibition which He was one of the great entrepreneurs
enable researchers and artists to produce new brought together the vision and the who, after the Second World War
and ambitious works that have been specifically history of the entrepreneur Antonio and through his company Ratti SpA,
conceptualised. With the objective of spreading Ratti and their place of origin – the city was able to rebuild Italian industry,
the culture of beauty to the public at large to in which his idea of business culture starting from a profound conception of
enrich the creativity of new languages and new developed, leaving a precious legacy philanthropy and culture.
experiences, the Foundation makes available the
antique textile collections from its archive to the
increasingly numerous exhibitions organised in
Italy and abroad.

The antique textile collection of
Antonio Ratti 7,800
The Foundation preserves the antique textile
collection of Antonio Ratti; these textiles are BOOKS AND A RICH
considered to be of exceptional interest by the COLLECTION OF FASHION
Italian state – they number more than 400,000 MAGAZINES IN THE LIBRARY
fabrics that illustrate the history of fabric from 400,000+
the 3rd to the 20th Century.
The collections up to the 1980s have been A COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE
subject to research and promotion by the TEXTILES
Foundation through courses, publications,
themed exhibitions, and the involvement of a 30,000
number of scholars in the field of the history of FABRIC CARDS
global fabric. DIGITALISED IN THE
Antique fabrics, given their fragility, need to be MULTIMEDIA CATALOGUE
conserved in accordance with specific rules;
for this reason the Antonio Ratti Foundation is
moving ahead with a photographic campaign
and the electronic filing of the items in its textile heritage is a library of more than 7,800 books
collections. specialising in textiles, fashion, visual arts,
applied arts, and a rich collection of magazines.
Through the Foundation’s website it is possible In 1995 the Antonio Ratti Foundation also
to access, free of charge, the Multimedia contributed to the creation of the Antonio Ratti
Catalogue and to consult the collection virtually Textile Center at the Metropolitan Museum
without damaging the textiles. of Art in New York, with a space of 2,300 m
3
There are currently around 30,000 files, a figure housing the textile collections of the American
which is constantly being updated. Added to this museum.

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