Coleccin Maramotti / Collection, vista de sala, espacio abierto 2 planta / exhibition view, open space 2nd floor.

Obras de / artworks by: Tom Sachs, Barry X Ball, Erick Swenson. Foto / Photo: Dario Lasagni.

Coleccin Maramotti / Collection. Entrada lado Norte / North entrance. Foto / Photo: Cesare di Liborio.

Todas las imgenes / all images: cortesa / courtesy Collezione Maramotti (Reggio Emilia, Italia / Italy).

Coleccin Maramotti: grandeza y discrecin

Achile Maramotti (Reggio Emilia, Italia, 1927 Albinea, RE, 2005) prefera ser discreto. Pese a haber creado la prestigiosa firma de moda italiana Max Mara y poseer una coleccin de arte contemporneo en la que se encuentran los grandes nombres del arte povera, la transavanguardia o el neoexpresionismo alemn, el empresario y coleccionista italiano no era amigo de la ostentacin ni del protagonismo. En la Collezione Maramotti, este carcter sobrio y modesto se traduce en una muestra permanente que impresiona por la calidad de sus obras y sorprende por la discrecin con la que se ofrece a los visitantes.

Pau Waelder

The Maramotti Collection: distinction and discretion

Achile Maramotti (Reggio Emilia, Italia, 1927 - Albinea, 2005) preferred discretion. Despite having created the prestigious Italian fashion firm Max Mara and owning a collection of contemporary art which includes the most important names in Arte Povera, Transavantgarde and German Expressionism, the Italian entrepreneur and collector was no friend of ostentation or the limelight. In the Maramotti Collection this sober and modest character has been translated into a permanent collection impressive for the quality of its pieces and surprising for the discretion with which its offered to visitors. Located in the companys former factory in Reggio Emilia, the Maramotti Collection opened in 2007, two years after the death of its founder, with a permanent show of more than 200 works dating from 1945 to the present, featuring some 120 artists, among them Mario Merz, Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Francesco Clemente, Mimo Paladino, Jannis Kounellis, Georg Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter and Christopher Wool. The collection is distributed on two floors in chronological or-

Situada en su antigua fbrica de Reggio Emilia, la Collezione Maramotti se inaugur en 2007, dos aos despus del fallecimiento de su fundador, con una exposicin permanente de ms de 200 obras que datan desde 1945 hasta la actualidad, de 120 artistas entre los que figuran Mario Merz, Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Francesco Clemente, Mimo Paladino, Jannis Kounellis, Georg Baselitz, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter y Christopher Wool. La coleccin se distribuye en dos plantas, segn una ordenacin cronolgica. La primera alberga pintura y escultura europea de la dcada de los 40 a los 80, desde el Arte Informal al Arte Povera y la Transavanguardia, jun-

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Claudio Parmiggiani, Caspar David Friedrich (1989). Instalacin: hierro y madera / installation: iron and wood. Claudio Parmiggiani. Foto / Photo: Cesare Di Liborio.

to con notables ejemplos del Neoexpresionismo alemn. La segunda acoge obras de la Nueva Abstraccin Geomtrica estadounidense y de artistas relevantes (algunos ms que otros) de los 80 y 90. La coleccin se establece como un excepcional testimonio de la evolucin del lenguaje pictrico en la segunda mitad del siglo XX, fruto de la dedicacin de Achille Maramotti y su relacin con el crtico, poeta y galerista Mario Diacono, quien le aconsej a lo largo de 30 aos. Segn lo quiso su fundador, la entrada es gratuita, pero slo puede visitarse previa reserva, en un grupo mximo de 30 personas. As, la visita mantiene una cierta intimidad, ms propia del ambiente de una residencia privada que de las salas de un espacio pblico. La sede respira historia y evoca, sin pomposidad, la personalidad y el trabajo de Achille Maramotti. Las obras expuestas son una parte representativa de las que adquiri a lo largo de 40 aos, reflejando su pasin por la pintura y la evolucin de su inters por el arte de su poca. El edificio, reformado por Andrew Hapgood en 2003, mantiene la estructura industrial y conserva las marcas dejadas en el suelo por la maquinaria que antao produca las creaciones de Max Mara. La conexin entre la coleccin y la fbrica no es casual. Maramotti empez a coleccionar arte casi al mismo tiempo que fund Max Mara, en 1951, con la adquisicin de una obra de Alberto Burri. Su coleccin fue creciendo segn lo haca su empresa, en un momento en que el arte italiano resurga con fuerza y daba nombre a sus propios movimientos

der. The first floor includes European painting and sculpture from the 1940s to the 80s, moving from Informal Art to Arte Povera and the Transavantgarde, together with notable examples of German Expressionism. The second floor contains works of American New Geometric Abstraction and relevant artists (some more than others) from the 80s and 90s. The collection has become an exceptional record of the evolution of pictorial language in the second half of the 20th century, the result of Achille Maramottis dedication and his relationship with the critic, poet and gallerist Mario Diacono, his faithful advisor for some 30 years. Following the founders wishes, entry is free, though by reservation only and for groups with a maximum of 30 people. This lends the visit a certain intimacy more in keeping with a private residence than the galleries of a public space. The building breathes history and evokes without undue pomposity the personality and work of Achille Maramotti. The works on view are a representative selection of 40 years of acquisitions, reflecting his passion for painting and the development of his interest in the art of his time. The building, remodeled by Andrew Hapgood in 2003, maintains its industrial structure and conserves the marks left on the floor by the machinery that previously produced Max Maras creations. The link between the collection and the factory is not fortuitous. Maramotti began to collect art at almost the same time that he founded Max Mara, in 1951, with the acquisition of a piece by Alberto Burri. The collection grew along

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Coleccin Maramotti / Collection, vista de sala / Exhibition view, obras de / artworks by: Michael Craig-Martin & Nicky Hoberman. Foto / photo: Dario Lasagni.

Coleccin Maramotti / Collection. Patio interno y espacio de proyectos Pattern Room vista nocturna / Courtyard and project space Pattern Room by night. Foto/ photo: Cesare Di Liborio.

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Coleccin Maramotti / Collection, vista de sala / exhibition view, obras de / artworks by: Sandro Chia. Foto/ photo: Dario Lasagni.

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Coleccin Maramotti / Collection, obras de / artworks by: Pino Pascali & Jannis Kounellis. Foto / photo: Dario Lasagni.

artsticos, participando en el nuevo impulso que se daba a la pintura a nivel internacional. Maramotti adquiri en estos aos un gran nmero de obras de los futuros grandes nombres del arte del siglo XX, muchas veces en sus propios estudios, y las colgaba en su residencia de Albinea o en las oficinas de su empresa. La relacin entre arte y moda era esencial para l. En una ocasin afirm: nuestro negocio es la creacin de moda, y esto est estrechamente ligado a los cambios de cada poca. Siempre se est al lmite. Es necesario desarrollar la actitud de estar acostumbrado a ver lo que est sucediendo. El arte representa al mximo esta manera de pensar El edificio se convierte as en algo ms que un espacio aprovechado: recuerda la estrecha relacin entre la coleccin y la empresa que la hizo posible. Su apertura al pblico, siguiendo los deseos de Maramotti en su testamento, resulta en cierto modo tarda. Las obras fueron adquiridas hace dcadas, y es preciso realizar un esfuerzo para apreciar la visin de su fundador en el momento en que decidi adquirirlas, mucho antes de que los artistas alcanzasen su notoriedad actual: esta coleccin se fue desarrollando en el momento en que se crearon las piezas, y no 30 aos ms tarde. Esto plantea un reto para la continuacin de la coleccin, puesto que, como afirma su directora, Marina Dacci, respetando el espritu con el que empez el fundador, queremos trabajar con artistas jvenes y no con el arte que se encuentra en los libros de historia. El artista Claudio Parmigianni, gran amigo de Maramotti, afirm que cada una de las obras de la coleccin contribuye a crear un autorretrato del coleccionista. Posiblemen-

with the business, at a moment when Italian art was making a strong comeback and baptized its own artistic movements, participating in the new impulse enjoyed by painting on an international level. During these years Maramotti acquired a large number of pieces by the future great names of 20th century art, often in their own studios, and he hung them on the walls of his home in Albinea or at the offices of his firm. The connection between art and fashion was crucial for him. On one occasion he affirmed: Our business is the creation of fashion, and thats intimately connected to each eras changes. Its always at the limit. You have to develop an attitude of being accustomed to seeing whats going on. Art represents this way of thinking to the maximum The building thus becomes something more than just a space to be used: it recalls the close connection between the collection and the company that made it possible. When it opened to the public, following the wishes of Maramotti, it seemed a bit belated. The pieces were acquired decades ago, and an effort is needed to perceive the founders vision at the time he decided to purchase them, long before the artists achieved their current fame: the collection evolved at the same time the pieces were being produced, and not 30 years later. This poses a challenge for the continuity of the collection, since, as its director Marina Dacci explains, Respecting the spirit in which the founder began, we want to work with young artists and not with the art found in history books. The artist Claudio Parmigianni, Maramottis great friend, said, Each one of the works in the collection contributes

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Coleccin Maramotti / Collection, vista de sala, espacio abierto primera planta / exhibition view, open space 1st floor. Obra de/ artwork by Anselm Kiefer. Foto/ photo: Cesare Di Liborio.

te, por este motivo la familia decidi establecer una muestra permanente, limitada a las adquisiciones de su fundador, mientras contina coleccionando obras, que se exponen de forma temporal en otras salas del imponente edificio. El compromiso de la familia Maramotti con el arte contemporneo se traduce actualmente en un programa de exposiciones temporales de obras adquiridas o encargadas a artistas del panorama internacional, tales como Gert & Uwe Tobias, Thomas Scheibitz, John F. Simon Jr. o Huma Bhabha y la creacin del premio Max Mara para mujeres artistas residentes en el Reino Unido, en colaboracin con la Whitechapel Gallery. Estas actividades mantienen la actualidad de una coleccin que no termina con el fallecimiento de Achille Maramotti. Segn indica Dacci, la familia no quera crear un mausoleo es una obra en proceso.
Pau Waelder es crtico de arte y comisario independiente, especializado en arte digital. Editor Adjunto de Media Art y corresponsal de art.es en Mallorca (Espaa).

to creating a self-portrait of the collector. Perhaps for this reason the family decided to create a permanent exhibition, limited to purchases made by the founder, while continuing to acquire work which is displayed temporarily in other rooms of the imposing building. The commitment of the Maramotti family to contemporary art currently translates into a program of temporary exhibitions of work purchased or commissioned from artists on the international art scene, such as Gert & Uwe Tobias, Thomas Scheibitz, John F. Simon Jr. and Huma Bhabha, as well as the creation of the Max Mara Prize for female artists residing in the U.K., in collaboration with the Whitechapel Gallery. These activities preserve the relevance of a collection that hasnt ended with the death of Achille Maramotti. As Dacci says, The family didnt want to create a mausoleumits a work in progress.
Pau Waelder ia an art critic and independent curator, specializing in digital art. He is Assistant Editor for Media Art and correspondent for art.es in Mallorca (Spain).

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