Paul VI Collection
The Paul VI collection of contemporary art was inaugurated in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI and has been open to visitors since 2010. It is located in Concesio and is named after the pope who was born there, Giovanni Battista Montini (1897-1987), who became Pope in 1963. It is not a memorial to Paul VI, nor a gallery of sacred art, but rather a collection of works resulting from the living, human and friendly relationship that the Holy Father had throughout his life with the artists of his time. In fact, the museum preserves and exhibits a wealth of paintings, drawings, prints, medals and sculptures from the 1900s that can be traced back to Montini and his secretary, Mons. Pasquale Macchi. The collection includes works by Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Dalí, Magritte, Rouault, Severini, de Chiri-co, Morandi, Fontana, Manzù, Hartung, Guitton and many other prominent Italian and international artists.
The Paul VI contemporary art collection is one of the stages of the “Sacred and Art Route” of the Ecomuseum of Valle Trompia – The Mountain and Industry, which is part of the Valle Trompia Museum System.