Farewell to Giulio Bargellini, founder of the MAGI '900 Museum.

Entrepreneur Giulio Bargellini, a knight, known in the cultural world for founding the Magi ’900 Museum in Pieve di Cento from his rich art collection, has passed away in Pieve di Cento at the age of 91. Born in 1932 in the Bolognese town where he later founded the museum, Bargellini had founded OVA, a leading manufacturer of emergency lighting systems, in 1963, also based in his Pieve di Cento.

A strong art enthusiast, he salvaged a 1933 industrial building in the late 1990s, having it restored by architect Giuseppe Davanzo, and made it the home of his museum.Opened to the public in 2000, the MAGI ’900 Museum (where “MAGI” stands for Museo d’Arte delle Generazioni Italiane) was expanded a first time between 2005 and 2006 and a second time in 2015. Today it consists of three buildings displaying works by the major protagonists of art between the 20th and 21st centuries-from Lucio Fontana to Ottone Rosai, Alberto Burri to Carlo Carrà, Agostino Bonalumi to Antonio Ligabue-with an eye to lesser-known but no less interesting artists as well.

“Pieve di Cento,” said Mayor Luca Borsari, “loses one of its sons, a man whose genius as an entrepreneur and his boundless love for art made Pieve shine in the eyes of the people of Pieve itself and of all those who have come to admire our community and our history. Giulio was able to take Pieve all over the world, but without any doubt Giulio carried Pieve in his heart. And Giulio will always be in the heart of Pieve and the people of Pieve, he and all that he was able and willing to do for Pieve. Rest in peace, dearest Giulio. I embrace in a strong and affectionate hug your dear Maria and your beloved daughters.”

For his activities on behalf of the arts, he had also received an honorary diploma from the Academy of Fine Arts and an award as a “philanthropic entrepreneur and patron of the arts,” with a medal, from the University of Ferrara.

Farewell to Giulio Bargellini, founder of the MAGI '900 Museum.

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.