Italy’s first online art gallery opens its doors

Works of art owned by a Milan foundation make their public debut – with the help of innovative Artgate project.

Art enthusiast Pier Mario Vello is smiling. The 59-year old and his 55 employees enjoy a rare privilege: they work in a world-class museum – without any visitors passing through. Number 23, Via Manin in Milan is a treasure trove of art from a host of eras – with a focus on works from the 19th century. It is also home to one of Italy’s largest non-profit organizations, managing assets of 6.5 billion euros. Last year, the Cariplo Foundation funded social, cultural, environmental and scientific projects to the tune of 210 million euros. And it is famous for its unique art collection. Vello explains. “We wanted to share these works with everyone. So we came up with the idea of an art portal.” This invites visitors to browse and admire the works – and is open around the clock and free of charge.

A pioneering project

For one year, a T-Systems team headed up by Alberto Rossetti and Dario Bianchi worked closely with work groups from the Cariplo Foundation on the technology and historical facts behind Italy’s first virtual art gallery. In addition to 750 masterpieces, there is a 3D animated guide, in the style of a TV documentary. Artgate has a diverse target audience – comprising both professionals and amateurs. The Italian version of the portal went live at the start of this year at www.artgate-cariplo.it and is capturing the imagination of academics, teachers, students and art-lovers alike.

According to T-Systems Customer Business Manager Alberto Rossetti, other prominent art collectors are also taking an interest in the project: “We are using our experience with Fondazione Cariplo for similar projects with other organizations in Italy.”

Read more about Artgate in the latest print edition of Best Practice.