The beauty of art, in any of its forms, testifies to what is highest in the human soul. The Arte Povera Museum helps to rediscover the authentic sense of beauty.

It is a unique collection, of its kind. Alongside ancient codices of great value, it preserves a precious collection of poor papers: valentines of love, eighteenth-century calendars, Art Nouveau posters, pop-ups, refined art deco prints.

Poor papers spread between the second half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, thanks to the development of chromolithography; They are characterized by a captivating external beauty that served to convey an advertising message and to arouse the desire for consumption.

Chromolithography was devised in 1837; The name comes from the Greek terms chroma (color), lithos (stone) and graphia (from graphein, to draw). Thanks to this technique, it became possible to quickly print color images, with greater shades and much brighter tones than the works obtained with previous techniques. For every color

it was necessary to use a different stone. These stone matrices, the work of skilled artists, were often considered small masterpieces.

The collections of facsimiles and art books are of great aesthetic and historical interest. Volumes that are normally untouchable and inaccessible can be consulted and admired within a museum space that becomes a treasure chest of our history.

An “avant-garde library” available to everyone.
The Arte Povera museum has been recognized by Google Arts and Culture as a site of interest and has been included on the portal among the 2,000 most important museums in the world.

The Italian Republic has also awarded medals to Mr. Roberto Parenti, for the Museum of Arte Povera, as official recognition of a cultural initiative of national importance.