Panza, Giuseppe—Art collections

Biographical notes:

Biographical/Historical Note

1923 Born March 23rd in Milan. 1931 Panza's father, Ernesto, purchases Villa Litta, Varese. 1943 Fled to Switzerland with his older brother to avoid being drafted into the German army. 1948 Bachelors 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. 1955 Married Rosa Giovanna Magnifico (5 children: Giuseppina, Alessandro, Federico, Giovanni, Giulio). 1956 Inherited family businesses with his brother. Began collecting. 1957 Acquires first Franz Kline work. 1959 Begins collecting Robert Rauschenberg's work. 1962 Purchases works from Claes Oldenburg's "The Store" and by James Rosenquist. 1966 Acquires works by Robert Morris and Donald Judd. 1974 Exported 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. 1975 Düsseldorf long-term loan agreement. 1976 Stopped 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. 1978 Negotiations begin with Regione Piemonte about Castello di Rivoli housing the collection. Offers his villa to Regione Lombardia. 1980 Düsseldorf and Basel exhibitions. 1982 Goes to court over re-importing works from Düsseldorf exhibition that were not specified (to export) in the contract. 1983 Comune di Varese discusses foundation for potential museum. 1984 MOCA purchases 50's and 60's works after the Italian government forces Panza to sell the collection and his other programs fail. 1987 Begins collecting works by new artists (numbers close to 1,500 pieces by 1995). 1988 Musée Rath, Geneva and Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid exhibitions. 1989 Musée Saint Etienne and Saint Pierre, Lyon exhibitions. 1990 Guggenheim purchases and receives through long-term loan and gifts Minimal and Conceptual works collected prior to 1976. 1992 Exhibition 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. 1994 Donates 70 new works to MOCA.

From the guide to the Giuseppe Panza papers, 1956-1990, (Getty Research Institute)

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  • Abstract expressionism

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