The collections of MASI reflect the very special history of visual art in Ticino. Since the end of the 19th century, this history has been shaped not only by regional artists, but also by artists, collectors, art dealers and art scholars who have found their adopted home in Ticino.

The collections particularly reflect the special nature of the Canton of Ticino with its Italian cultural identity on the one hand and its political affiliation with the Swiss federal state on the other.

The presentation of the collections, enriched by a number of high-calibre loans, intends to convey a picture of how art in Ticino has dynamically evolved in its specific cultural context from the years after the founding of the Swiss federal state until the end of the Second World War, and which influences from the south and the north asserted themselves here.

The exhibition shows some of the milestones of this history: from Expressionism, the New Objectivity, and Magic Realism, through Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism back to the first contaminations of Symbolism.

A selection curated by Tobia Bezzola
We would like to thank the Stiftung für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte, Winterthur, and the Fondazione Matasci per l’Arte, Tenero, for the loan of a series of works