Incontri. Da Fontana a Baj, da Rotella a Mondino. Una collezione svelata
from 16 May 2026 to 29 November 2026
Sesto Calende (VA)
Fondazione Giancarlo Sangregorio - Sesto Calende
Saturday 16 May 2026 will see the opening of Spazio Luce, the new exhibition space of the Giancarlo Sangregorio Foundation in Sesto Calende (VA), created through the restoration of an old rural building following a call for proposals by the Cariplo Foundation, with the aim of expanding the range of its cultural offerings: a dynamic venue designed to host temporary exhibitions, meetings, interdisciplinary discussions and projects dedicated to young artists.
Nestled in the greenery of the Ticino Park, Spazio Luce represents a further step in the process of promoting the artistic legacy of the sculptor Giancarlo Sangregorio (1925–2013), strengthening the link between memory, the local area and the contemporary world, and confirming its commitment to promoting art and creating new opportunities for engagement and participation, thereby consolidating the role of Sesto Calende, at the southern tip of Lake Maggiore on the border with Piedmont, as a key player in the Italian art scene.
To mark the occasion, Spazio Luce is hosting, from 16 May to 29 November 2026, the exhibition Incontri. From Fontana to Baj, from Rotella to Mondino. A revealed collection, curated by Lorella Giudici, with the contribution of Martina Cortese, under the patronage of the Lombardy Region and the Municipality of Sesto Calende, with the support of the Cariplo Foundation, and sponsored by the FNM Group and Enel, which presents, through 34 works, all from the Sangregorio collection, a dialogue between some of the most significant figures in Italian art of the second half of the 20th century, from Lucio Fontana to Enrico Baj, from Mimmo Rotella to Aldo Mondino, and others besides.
“The opening of Spazio Luce,” emphasises Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region, “represents a significant cultural investment for the Lombardy region and demonstrates the Giancarlo Sangregorio Foundation’s ability to celebrate the legacy of a great artist by projecting it into the future. Projects such as this strengthen the bond between culture, landscape and community, contributing to the growth of Lombardy’s cultural appeal and offering new opportunities for engagement and participation, especially for the younger generations.”
“With this exhibition,” says Francesca Caruso, Councillor for Culture of the Lombardy Region, “the Giancarlo Sangregorio Foundation is expanding its cultural offering and breathing new life into a historic building by transforming it into a space dedicated to contemporary art, young artists and dialogue between different disciplines. Through works by some of the leading figures of 20th-century Italy, the exhibition illustrates the value of the artistic and human relationships forged by Giancarlo Sangregorio throughout his life. Set within the stunning landscape of the Ticino Park, this project helps to strengthen the bond between culture, the local area and local identity. The Region views with great interest initiatives capable of creating new opportunities for cultural participation and of enhancing the artistic appeal of the province of Varese and, more broadly, of Lombardy.”
“Spazio Luce,” says Francesca Marcellini, president of the Giancarlo Sangregorio Foundation, “was established with the aim of exploring the artistic and human world, the thoughts and relationships of Giancarlo Sangregorio, an artist who was able to transform matter into narrative, memory and emotion.”
The opening of this new space represents not only a physical expansion of the Foundation, but above all an opening towards new possibilities for encounter, dialogue and research. We want this space to become a point of reference for scholars, artists, young people and visitors, a living place where art can be experienced as a shared experience.”
“The inauguration of Spazio Luce,” recalls Loredana D’Agaro, Councillor for Culture in Sesto Calende, “is a source of deep pride not only for the Sangregorio Foundation, but also for the Municipal Administration of Sesto Calende. It is a new addition that enhances an already extraordinary place: what was once the home and studio of Giancarlo Sangregorio, now a vibrant museum, is enriched by a space dedicated to the explosion of contemporary art.”
“Giancarlo Sangregorio,” says Lorella Giudici, “has left us a collection of works (over a hundred) by artists of his time, each of which is a token of esteem, a sign of friendship, a testament to an encounter, an exchange between colleagues from all over the world. A collection of works that recounts the memories of a lifetime, but also the world of art, particularly of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, with its plurality of languages, the emergence of new styles and the narrative of an era that for some remains an inner experience, whilst for others requires a focus on symbolism and social issues.”
With many of these artists, Giancarlo Sangregorio has exhibited in major group shows, which often provided the very occasion for their first meeting (Mimmo Rotella, Concetto Pozzati, Hsiao Chin, Emilio Scanavino, Aldo Mondino, Valentino Vago, Gianni Dova, Martin Schulz Kirchner, Tino Stefanoni, Enzo Esposito, to name but a few); with others, however, the bonds were deeper and more enduring, starting with Maria Luisa de Romans, his first partner; and continuing with the core group of artists who were his “neighbours”: Lucio Fontana, Enrico Baj, Silvio Monti, Kengiro Azuma and Vittore Frattini.
With others still, Sangregorio shared creative experiences, particularly during his stays in Albissola Marina, where his friend Sergio Dangelo (represented here with an emblematic work, Otello) had opened a cultural centre, or with Pietro Pirelli, with whom he created a ‘concert of stones’.
In addition to these, there are works chosen for their “sentimental value”, such as the bronze head by Arturo Martini, entitled Il vento, or the lithograph by Massimo Campigli (Donne con la collana, 1951).
A diverse, intriguing and unique collection spanning at least five decades of the last century, which takes us into Sangregorio’s world through the eyes and memories of the many friends who knew, met and loved him.
The exhibition is accompanied by an online catalogue – published by FSG – featuring a text by Lorella Giudici and photographs by Alessio Tamborini, available to download from the Fondazione Sangregorio website (www.fondazionesangregoriogiancarlo.it).
The guest of honour at the opening day on Saturday 16 May 2026 will be the scientist Amalia Ercoli Finzi.
At the same time – from 16 May to 26 July – the Spazio Atelier will host Scrigni di luce, a solo exhibition by Paola Ravasio (Varese, 1978), the first winner of the Sangregorio Prize, who returns to exhibit at the Foundation after twelve years with a selection of recent works.
Her sculptures emerge from agglomerations of white material, be it plaster or resin, to become, as Giancarlo Sangregorio himself pointed out, “at one with the light (matter–light, not light resting upon matter)”, veritable metaphysical Scrigni di luce.
On the ground floor of the same Atelier, six works are also on display, forming the core of the Sangregorio Foundation’s acquisitions. These are works donated to the Foundation by artists who have exhibited here, including a sculpture by Alex Bombardieri, winner of the second edition of the Sangregorio Prize dedicated to young sculptors.
In September,the Atelier will host a special exhibition dedicated to Sergio Floriani.
The new Spazio Luce logo was conceived and designed by Stefano Barbato and encapsulates the sculptural research of the artist Giancarlo Sangregorio, based on the dialogue between material and form.
Fondazione Giancarlo Sangregorio - Sesto Calende
Sonate, 1977
acrilico, tempera e pastelli su tela
80 x 64 cm
Esposizione dell'opera di Aldo Mondino
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