Le Musée Imaginaire
Collection
As part of the “è cultura!” event, an annual initiative promoted by ABI e ACRI, the historic headquarters of banks and banking foundations throughout Italy are opened to the public for free guided tours, the Fondazione CRT reopened its doors to the public.
The tour includes a project exhibition taking place in the building’s stately rooms of the headquarters and features a selection of works from the Fondazione Arte CRT’s collection, the art-oriented body of the Fondazione CRT. Curated by Clemente Miccichè, the exhibition draws inspiration from André Malraux’s Musée Imaginaire, bringing together artists from different eras and languages with the Baroque history of Palazzo Perrone di San Martino to create evocative connections between past and present.
Fondazione CRT’s exterior views, photo credit: Pino Dell’Acquila
Fondazione CRT’s artworks and interiors, photo credit: Giorgio Perottino
In 1947, André Malraux published Le Musée Imaginaire, an essay reflecting on how the spread of photography had made it possible for anyone to construct, in their own mind, a personal museum — an ideal space where works from different eras, languages, and origins could meet, generating new narratives and unprecedented stimuli.
Ultimately, every exhibition is a re-reading of the canon of art history: a selection of works and authors which, through reciprocal dialogue, offers the public a renewed vision.
The works gathered here span over seventy-five years of European art — from painting to sculpture, from photography to performance. The great protagonists of the Italian avant-gardes of the twentieth century stand alongside international masters and prominent contemporary artists, creating an interplay of different voices and visions.
Artists
Claudio Abate
Vito Acconci
Afro Basaldella (Afro)
Aurelio Amendola
Karel Appel
Vasco Bendini
Gianni Berengo Gardin
Norman Bluhm
Alfredo Chighine
Flavio Favelli
Francesco Jodice
Asger Jorn
Ketty La Rocca
Uliano Lucas
Anna Maria Maiolino
Ugo Mulas
Mario Nigro
Paola Pivi
Klaus Rinke
Sergio Romiti
Remo Salvadori
Antonio Sanfilippo
Giuseppe Santomaso
Toti Scialoja
Sissi
Claudio Verna
As in Malraux’s imaginary museum, this exhibition invites viewers to look beyond the individual work to discover the unexpected connections that emerge from their encounter. From 2025, the collection engages in dialogue with the history and Baroque architecture of Palazzo Perrone di San Martino, occasionally offering the public an opportunity to rediscover this heritage in a new form — one capable of intertwining past and present into a single, living narrative.
Past editions
Le Musée Imaginaire 2026
Fondazione CRT will open its doors to the public on Saturday 17, Sunday 18, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October as part of the “è cultura!” Festival and Turin Art Week on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026.
During these three weekends, the Foundation invites locals, tourists and art enthusiasts to explore Palazzo Perrone di San Martino, a historic and architectural gem in the heart of the city and home to the Foundation’s headquarters. Visitors will have the opportunity to view a selection of prestigious works from the Fondazione Arte CRT’s collection as part of the ‘Museo Immaginario’ exhibition project.
Starting at 31 Via XX Settembre, the tour will guide visitors through the palace’s stately rooms, dating from the late 17th century and renovated in the 18th century. Highlights include the Grand Staircase, the Hall of Honour, the Board of Directors’ Room, and the balcony adorned with symbols of the city, industriousness, and thrift. The tour concludes in the Presidents’ and the Board of Directors’ Rooms.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to view a selection of works from the collection, which is moving from the GAM and Castello di Rivoli to the Foundation’s premises. Curated by Clemente Miccichè and inspired by André Malraux’s ‘Musée Imaginaire’, the ‘Museo Immaginario’ exhibition project brings together artists from different eras and artistic traditions with the Baroque history of Palazzo Perrone di San Martino, creating evocative connections between past and present.
Le Musée Imaginaire 2026
Fondazione CRT opended its doors to the public on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June. Local residents, tourists and art lovers have had the opportunity to explore Palazzo Perrone di San Martino, a historic and architectural gem in the heart of the city and home to the Foundation, alongside a selection of prestigious pieces from the collection as part of the ‘Museo Immaginario’ exhibition project.
The tour has taken visitors through the palace’s grand rooms, dating from the late 17^(th) century and renovated in the 18^(th) century. Highlights include the Grand Staircase, the Hall of Honour, the Board of Directors’ Room and the balcony adorned with symbols of the city, hard work and thrift. The tour has also brought them into the Presidents’ and the Board of Directors’ Rooms.
Le Musée Imaginaire 2025
The Foundation CRT opened its doors to the public on 11, 12 and 18 October 2025. A special afternoon dedicated to children and families was scheduled for Sunday, 19 October. This event was part of ‘è Cultura!’, an annual initiative promoted by ABI and ACRI which opens historic bank and banking foundation headquarters throughout Italy for free guided tours.
This initiative gave citizens, tourists and enthusiasts, as well as children, the chance to explore historic buildings of significant historical and artistic value that are usually off-limits to the public as they are used for institutional activities.
The tour, which started at Via XX Settembre 31, took visitors through the stately rooms of the late 17th century building, which was renovated in the 18th century. Highlights included the Grand Staircase, the Hall of Honour, the Steering Committee Room, the balcony decorated with symbols of the city, hard work and thrift, the Presidents’ Room and the Boardroom.
To mark its 25th anniversary, the art-oriented arm of Fondazione CRT, Fondazione Arte CRT, presented an exhibition project for the stately rooms of the headquarters, displaying a selection of works from its own collection. Curated by Clemente Miccichè, the exhibition was inspired by André Malraux’s Musée Imaginaire and brought together artists from different eras and styles with the Baroque history of Palazzo Perrone di San Martino, creating evocative connections between past and present.
For the first time, the foundation also offered activities dedicated to children and families, guiding even the youngest visitors on a journey of discovery through the ‘great beauty’ of Palazzo Perrone, exploring its history and curiosities.
