Pinacoteca cantonale Giovanni Züst

About the museum

The core of the Pinacoteca was donated to the Canton of Ticino in 1966 by Giovanni Züst (1887–1976), a collector from Basel who died in Rancate. The permanent exhibition opened in 1967 in the former parsonage of Rancate, which the architect Tita Carloni had extended and converted into a museum. Between 1989 and 1990 the building was renovated under the direction of the architect Claudio Cavadini. Today it is divided into a permanent section in the former parsonage and a wing added in 1966 with the “attic hall” on the second floor for temporary exhibitions.

The collection brings together works by artists who were active in Ticino or had close ties to it, from the 17th to the 19th century. It originally consisted of works by fourteen artists. Highlights include three paintings by Giovanni Serodine, among them “San Pietro in carcere”, and numerous works by Giuseppe Antonio Petrini of Carona, one of the principal representatives of 18th-century Lombard painting. The local core of the collection consists of 99 paintings and 246 drawings by the Mendrisiotto painter Antonio Rinaldi (1816–1875); the 19th century is particularly well represented by artists of the Brera Academy in Milan.

The collection grows through purchases, donations and loans. Room by room, the museum occasionally shows hidden holdings (“Il museo nascosto”) or new acquisitions (“La Züst dopo Züst”). The Pinacoteca also regularly organises high-calibre temporary exhibitions, guided tours and school programmes.

Highlights

• Paintings by Giovanni Serodine, including “San Pietro in carcere”
• Works by Giuseppe Antonio Petrini of Carona
• 99 paintings and 246 drawings by Antonio Rinaldi
• 19th-century Ticinese painters from the circle of the Brera Academy
• Former parsonage of Rancate, converted into a museum

Permanent exhibition

• Collezione permanente – The permanent exhibition shows artists from the 17th to the 20th century who were from Ticino or had a connection to it; highlights are works by Serodine, Petrini and Rinaldi.

Founded

1967

Operated by

Repubblica e Cantone Ticino (DECS, Divisione della cultura e degli studi universitari)

Director

Elio Schenini

Admission & discounts

The price of CHF 10 is the admission to the current exhibition as stated on the website; no concessions are published there.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Audio descriptions of five works in the collection are available online for visually impaired visitors (project “Mediazione cultura inclusione”).

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

On the A2 motorway take the Mendrisio exit; turn right at the first roundabout and keep right, and after just over a kilometre you reach the centre of Rancate. The Pinacoteca is opposite the parish church of Santo Stefano.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit