1923Born March 23rd in Milan.1931Panza's father, Ernesto, purchases Villa Litta,
Varese.1943Fled to Switzerland with his older brother to avoid being
drafted into the German army.1948Bachelors in Law at University of Milan (never practiced, self-taught in art history). Started working in the family businesses of real estate
development and the manufacture of industrial alcohol.1955Married Rosa Giovanna Magnifico (5 children: Giuseppina,
Alessandro, Federico, Giovanni, Giulio).1956Inherited family businesses with his brother. Began collecting.1957Acquires first Franz Kline work.1959Begins collecting Robert Rauschenberg's work.1962Purchases works from Claes Oldenburg's "The Store" and by
James Rosenquist.1966Acquires works by Robert Morris and Donald Judd.1974Exported works now owned by Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) to Switzerland. Forms Modern
Painting Trust (disbanded by 1978) and consummates Mönchengladbach
long-term loan agreement for art works of the 1950s and early
1960s.1975Düsseldorf long-term loan agreement.1976Stopped collecting because of the Italian economic downturn.Museum programs begin in earnest with his collection that contains ca. 600
works.Because of a new Italian law regarding estates abroad, Panza must decide
to either sell that portion of his collection and bring the money home, or
bring the paintings back to Italy.Basel long-term loan agreement.1978Negotiations begin with Regione Piemonte about Castello di
Rivoli housing the collection.Offers his villa to Regione Lombardia.1980Düsseldorf and Basel exhibitions.1982Goes to court over re-importing works from Düsseldorf
exhibition that were not specified (to export) in the contract.1983Comune di Varese discusses foundation for potential
museum.1984MOCA purchases 50's and 60's works after the Italian
government forces Panza to sell the collection and his other programs
fail.1987Begins collecting works by new artists (numbers close to 1,500
pieces by 1995).1988Musée Rath, Geneva and Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid
exhibitions.1989Musée Saint Etienne and Saint Pierre, Lyon
exhibitions.1990Guggenheim purchases and receives through long-term loan and
gifts Minimal and Conceptual works collected prior to 1976.1992Exhibition and donation of ca. 200 works to the Lugano museum
in Switzerland from Panza's recent acquisitions. Moves to Lugano to be free of
Italian governmental restrictions on the collection and archive.1994Donates 70 new works to MOCA.From the guide to the Giuseppe Panza papers, 1956-1990, (Getty Research Institute)