Art is, in my opinion, a vision without prejudice of a gateway to the world. The artists often offer new panoramics of reality. Artworks are sources of thoughts and questions. It is up to us find our own answers and if there is dialogue or symphony with the artist, then all becomes more stimulating.
- Gemma de Angelis Testa, Milan -
Gemma de Angelis Testa has always been interested in art. As a child, she would read art books she found at home. Today, she has visited the most important places for contemporary art and studied everything that belonged to this world. Even though she has always had close relationships with international artists and curators, she only started to collect in 1980 when she purchased her first work ‘Vengeance of Achilles’, 1962 by Cy Twombly. Testa’s collection was born with the purpose to donate her artworks to the public. Her first task as a collector was to build the central core of the Castello di Rivoli’s collection, given on loan to the museum. Furthermore, the pieces in her collection are characterised by a strong emotional impact. It would seem that the whole collection is born out of symbiosis as she juxtaposes works that are conceptually similar. The most common theme found in her collected artworks surrounds the subject of pain.
In 2003, Gemma Testa founded the association ACACIA, which she currently presides. The association connects a hundred of collectors and art lovers who have the goal to promote Italian contemporary art through events, exhibitions and seminars. The collection created by ACACIA has always dialogued with public institutions. In 2015, The Museo del ‘900 received 21 artworks from the association, highlighting ACACIA’s commitment to the promotion of art to the public, moving away from the private context. Among the many artists present in the ACACIA’s collection we can find Francesco Vezzoli, Maurizio Cattelan, Luca Trevisani and Marzia Migliora.
For further information
www.acaciaweb.it
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Contributor, Silvia Dalmiglio
Italian Collectors
Italian born, Silvia Dalmiglio is a world traveller and contemporary art enthusiast. She is underway in completing her degree in Preservation of Cultural Heritage at Academia di Brera in Milan, and soon starting her postgraduate degree there in Creative Communication for Cultural Heritage. Dalmiglio launched her blog Italian Collectors in March this year, reporting about Italian contemporary art collectors.
