Signed in as
Collection of ancient textiles of the Fondazione Antonio Ratti at Villa Sucota, on Lake Como, visitable by appointment.
November 13, 2026 – March 12, 2027
Archaeological and twentieth-century textiles from the foundation's collection engage with works by artists such as Carla Accardi, Alighiero Boetti and Matt Mullican. The theme of the exhibition is geometry and its link with myth.
In 1985 Antonio Ratti (1915–2002), an entrepreneur from Como, founded the eponymous non-profit foundation in Como. He aimed to share his passion for art and textiles and to preserve the textile collection he had begun assembling in the 1950s as a source of inspiration for his production.
The collection tells the story of textiles from different continents and periods, from the 3rd to the 20th century. It includes groups of Coptic and Indigenous American textiles, Italian velvets, 18th-century French silks, Indian and European cashmere shawls, Kuba textiles from the Congo, 19th-century printed cottons, ties and ribbons, Japanese garments and kimono, as well as thousands of sample books on French and Italian industrial textile production. Since 1998 the holdings have been accessible to the public through digitisation and cataloguing, with exhibitions, publications and guided tours.
Since 2010 the foundation has been based at Villa Sucota, a historic building on the lakeshore. It also houses a library specialising in art, textiles, fashion and applied arts, and the works left in the park by artists who have collaborated with the foundation. Every year the CSAV programme, a research workshop for young artists, takes place at Villa Sucota.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
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The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Visits by appointment only. Access to the digital vault of the collection is requested by writing to archiviotessile@fondazioneratti.org. |
