Born in 1906 in Reggio Emilia to Giuseppe Magnani (a producer of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese) and Eugenia Rocca (of a noble Ligurian family), Luigi studied modern literature at the University of Rome, graduating in 1927 with a thesis in art history on the 16th-century sculptor Antonio Begarelli. In the 1930s, he collaborated with the Pontifical Roman Academy as an art consultant, with the Treccani Institute for some entries in the renowned Encyclopedia and the Bibliographical Dictionary of Italians (1943), subsequently qualifying as a professor of medieval and modern art history (all the while attempting to write three novels, which were never finished). Additionally, since his childhood, Magnani was captivated by music, studying the pianoforte with composers Alfredo Casella and Raffaele Casimiri. Before fully immersing himself in the “life of a collector,” Luigi composed several melodies, including “Pavane,” performed in 1952 at the San Carlo Theater in Naples. Between the 1940s and the 1960s, he gave several lectures on literature and music (at the Roman Philharmonic Academy, he was known for a conversation on “modern musical techniques,” while at the Italian Institute of German Studies in Rome, he gave a lecture on Goethe and Mozart, enchanting those present), published several essays on music (including “The Frontiers of Music”), and curated (sometimes participating in) RAI broadcasts on musicians and writers (with particular attention to Beethoven).
Luigi Magnani Rocca and Giorgio Morandi. All photos courtesy of Alice Trioschi.
It was only in 1976 that the idea of the art foundation came to life when Magnani left his teaching position at the University of Rome and retired in the villa in Mamiano. In reality, Luigi’s passion for collecting was born at a specific moment: his encounter with Giorgio Morandi, which occurred in 1940 thanks to his friend Cesare Brandi (although Magnani had already seen some of the artist’s work at the 1939 Rome Quadriennale). Magnani and Morandi became close friends (the painter often visited Mamiano, where he received products from the Magnani farms in exchange for his own canvases), and Luigi was one of the major collectors of his friend’s paintings. On the first floor of the Parmesan villa, there are indeed fifty works by Morandi (17 oil paintings, 5 watercolors, 8 drawings, 20 engravings), including the only painting ever commissioned by the painter. “Natura Morta” (Musical Instruments)” (1941) represents the patron’s passion for music, as he asked Morandi to depict the precious musical instruments lent by a friend.
Giorgio Morandi, Natura Morta (Musical Instruments).
Morandi, embarrassed, replaced the instruments with others found at the flea market, then handed Magnani the unusual (and in some ways uncertain) composition. Also rare are the “Still Life” from 1918 (the metaphysical period of the painter) and the youthful self-portrait from 1925.
However, Morandi’s paintings are not the only treasure of the villa. Already at the entrance of the estate, visitors are greeted by the remarkable collection of vintage cars belonging to the Magnani Rocca family (mostly consisting of Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, and Ferrari) and the many peacocks strolling in the exotic park. The left wing of the ground floor, furnished in a neoclassical style, is mainly dedicated to the old masters, which Luigi acquired over the years in an attempt to fill the “gaps” in his collection, primarily focusing on contemporary art.
The ground floor with the Pierre cup.
In the main salon with pastel colors (in addition to the large cup by Pierre-Philippe Thomire – 1751-1843), two frescoes by Tiepolo are immediately found, followed – among many others in the subsequent rooms – by the “Sacra Conversazione” (1513) by Tiziano, “Gio. Paolo Balbi on Horseback” (1627) by Van Dyck, “Ferdinando Gonzaga, Infante of Mantua” (1604-1605) by Rubens, “Madonna and Child” (1495) by Albrecht Dürer, the marble sculpture “Terpsichore” (1811) by Canova, and the large canvas “The Family of the Infante Don Luis” (1783-1784) by Goya (acquired in 1974 by Luigi for a considerable sum from the Florentine palace of the Ruspoli family).
Goya, The Family of the Infante Don Luis.
The right wing is instead mainly dedicated to the temporary exhibition on Umberto Boccioni, which focuses on the first decade of the 20th century, the most experimental years of the painter stimulated by the emerging avant-garde.
Magnani Rocca Foundation, ground floor
The right wing of the first floor focuses on the Impressionists, with particular attention to Cezanne, a common passion of Magnani and Morandi (notable here are “Cups and Cherries” from 1890, “Basket of Fruit” from 1890, and “Provençal Landscape” from 1900-1904). There are many paintings and drawings by Matisse (“Odalisque on the Terrace,” 1922, and “Dancer,” 1927), Renoir (“Landscape of Cagnes,” 1905-1908, and “The Fish,” 1917), and Monet (particularly interesting is “Cliffs at Pourville (Sunrise)” from 1897).
Monet, Cliffs at Pourville (Sunrise).
A corridor with the clothes of the Magnani Rocca family – especially Luigi’s tailcoats and tuxedos for the theater and women’s dresses in the Charleston style – then leads to the left wing, dedicated to the 20th-century painters with whom Magnani had personal relationships. In an interview in 1984, Luigi explained that he did not like to be called a “collector,” not frequenting antique shops, auctions, and exhibitions, but preferring to “associate with the artists, taking an interest in their work and making it the subject of study.”
Luigi Magnani Rocca’s evening dresses.
In addition to Morandi’s works, there are numerous paintings here by Filippo De Pisis (whom he met in 1941 while the painter was engaged in the staging of Mozart’s “Bastiano and Bastiana” at the Teatro delle Arti in Rome), Alberto Burri (“Sack,” 1954), who was ostracized by society at the time for his “alternative art,” Giorgio De Chirico (Enigma of Departure, 1914), Manzù (Ofeo I 1960, Orfeo II 1960, San Giorgio 1972), Severini (Danseuse articulée, 1915), and László Vinkler, who portrayed the entire Magnani Rocca family.
