Cassero for Sculpture in Montevarchi
An ancient fortification with hundreds of works from 19th and 20th-century Italian artists
The Cassero for 19th and 20th-century Italian sculpture is a project like no other in Italy. The museum is built into the old 14th-century Cassero in Montevarchi, which, three levels high, was the most imposing tower on the elliptical circuit of fortified walls that was commissioned by the Florentines in 1328.
The evocatively arranged permanent collection has hundreds of sculptures including bronzes, marbles, plaster casts and terracottas, as well as many drawings, created by both Tuscan and Italian artists and arrived in Montevarchi thanks to donations from private individuals. Likewise, a large number of original documents, period photographs and press reviews have also come to the museum. In fact, the purpose of the museum is to research and document Italian sculpture over the past two centuries.
The Cassero collection holds historically and artistically important works by Michelangelo Monti, Temo Bortolotti, Arturo Stagliano, Alberto Giacomasso, Mentore Maltoni, Valmore Gemignani, Firenze Poggi and Donatella (Dodi) Bortolotti. Sculptures by Montevarchi artists Pietro Guerri, Elio Galassi and Ernesto Galeffi also rub shoulders here.
The museum organizes workshops for children and young people, as well as exhibitions and lectures exploring Italian sculpture between the 19th and 20th centuries.
