The largest collector in Italy, unknown to anyone Frederico Cerruti 
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Every Sunday, an unremarkable-looking man in an ordinary dark blue suit and white shirt arrived in an unremarkable car in an unremarkable house on the outskirts of Turin and sat down to dine in the company of his housekeeper Marcelina in a small portico decorated with living orchids. He could have lunch in a hall with ten metaphysical paintings by de Chirico, but this man loved flowers, loved beauty. His love of art allowed him to collect an amazing collection in more than 70 years. This collection was his family, his friend, his meaning.
one of several
remaining photos
Federico Cerruti died on July 15 at the age of 93. He was very popular among dealers, sometimes giving advice. Everyone knew about his rare gift - to understand great art.
Pictures of the late Middle Ages and the early works of the Renaissance adorned the main bedroom of a large villa. Paolo Veneziano, Sassetta, Berganyone - all the paintings are of the highest quality and in excellent condition. If we go into the living room, we will meet here the founder of Mannerism Pontormo, prominent representatives of the Ferrara and Venetian schools Dosso Dossi and Paris Bordone, as well as the greatest master of Italian baroque Tiepolo.. Here the great allegories of Batoni from the 18th century are side by side with the beautiful Boldini from the 19th century. Next - Klee, Boccioni and Modigliani, Alberto Burri, and, finally, Art Nouveau.
Here is the first work Cherruti bought - a drawing by Kandinsky, with whom he was familiar and even friends. Tables in the room are littered with rare books, for example, the twelve volumes of Atlas Maior by Atlas Maior, Joan Blaeu, published in the 17th century. Here is also a small exquisite book, decorated with 17th-century enamel and precious stones. The furniture in the rooms is itself a work of art, the best work of cabinetmakers in Italy.
Federico Cherruti was born on January 1, 1922, in a Genoese family. His father had a small bookbinding workshop. Moving to Turin made it possible to expand the business, but as a result of the bombing in 1943, the workshop was completely destroyed, and Federico escaped death only by a lucky chance. Parents raised the boy in severity, in reverence for work, but initially his research was focused on the field of accounting, and not on the study of the history of art. In the wake of the post-war economic boom in Italy, Federico managed to open his own bookbinding business, which in several years became one of the two largest in the country. Cherruti’s apartment was located above his office and here he lived alone all his life.
In the villa that he built for himself and where his entire collection was kept, for half a century he spent the night only once. Annalisa Ferrari, his right hand for almost 30 years, recalls that when he woke up that morning, he said that all these treasures made him suffer from Stendhal’s syndrome - the aesthetic pleasure from the sight of art objects caused him a great feeling of excitement and weaknesses. Twice a year, he arranged holidays in the villa - on his birthday and name day. This was more a tribute to traditions than a necessity, because he had almost no friends. He gave generous gifts to the homeless for Christmas, provided his treasures for rent to museums, and organized small excursions to his villa. All this filled his life with meaning.
Those who managed to visit the villa were amazed at the beauty of what they saw, especially since few people in the country heard about the Cherruti collection. He hated publicity to such an extent that even his photographs were almost extinct. In his last letters, he asked Ferrari to arrange his funeral as soon as possible, before they were announced in the newspapers. Cherruti was buried in a coffin with an ivory crucifix and with photographs of his adored mother and Padre Pio.
Perhaps in the United States or Great Britain museums would find an opportunity to collaborate with Cherruti, to give him the opportunity to develop his interest in art. But in Italy, where the atmosphere is saturated with mutual suspicions of museums and private collectors, this was not possible. The Turin authorities made an attempt to get the Cherruti collection for their museums, but only aroused the fury of the collector because of the publicity that accompanied this story.
Two years ago, the collector founded his own fund, which owns the villa, collection and all the capital of Cherruti. To date, Cherruti’s will has not yet been announced, but it is expected that the sister will become the heir. It is possible that it is up to her to decide the fate of the richest private collection of art objects in Italy.
Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru
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