From 10 October 2021 to 31 January 2022 Fondazione Antonio Ratti hosts Antonio’s Dream: A Journey Through Art and Textiles, an exhibition curated by Lorenzo Benedetti, Annie Ratti and Maddalena Terragni, a project reconnecting the vision and history of the entrepreneur Antonio Ratti with his hometown, the city where his concept of entrepreneurial and corporate culture developed, leaving a precious legacy that is still alive today.
Juxtaposing antique textiles, contemporary artworks, and archive material, the exhibition traces the life, work,
and vision of the industrialist and art patron Antonio Ratti, one of the great entrepreneurs who with and through his company Ratti S.p.A., reconstructed Italy’s industrial sector inspired by a profound philanthropic and cultural vision.

The third exhibition dedicated to Antonio Ratti – following the two previous exhibitions at Palazzo Te in Mantua in 2017 and at the Baths of Diocletian in Rome in 2018 – entitled Antonio’s Dream: A Journey Through Art and Textiles further explores the vision and history of the entrepreneur, expanding the project and relating directly with those places where Antonio Ratti lived and worked throughout his life.

The exhibition itinerary is divided between public and private locations of great interest and the headquarters of the Foundation, established by Ratti in 1985, where his textile collection is still kept today. Works created specifically for the occasion contribute to the definition of a cohesive visual relationship between artistic research, antique fabrics, the story of Antonio Ratti and the indoor and and outdoor spaces occupied by the exhibition, channeling the art patron’s idea that experience and knowledge, art and experimentation are fundamental tools to understand one’s time and be creative.

The exhibition is set up in the halls of Villa Olmo and Villa Sucota, across their parks and in other venues in the city of Como, creating a network of locations between focal points of the city’s cultural fabric.

The heart of the exhibition is set in Villa Olmo, only a short walk from the city center. Thanks to the staging designed by the architect Philippe Rahm and the graphic design of Wolfe Hall, archival material and antique fabrics interact with the contemporary works of art in the neoclassical setting of the villa. Artists who have collaborated with the Foundation over the years, such as John Armleder, Luigi Ontani, Giulio Paolini, Walid Raad, Yvonne Rainer, Julia Brown, Vincent Ceraudo, Zishi Han and Moira Ricci, have created works designed specifically for these spaces, works reflecting Antonio Ratti’s vision and legacy. A documentary made by Domenico Palma, on view inside the villa, describes the man and entrepreneur through the words and memories of those who collaborated and shared dreams and visions with him, tracing a vivid and intense portrait of the Como entrepreneur and art patron.

The exhibition spreads across the gardens of the villa and into the Kilometer of Knowledge area with works by Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Liliana Moro, Giulio Paolini and Rä di Martino.
The exhibition itinerary ends at Villa Sucota, home to Fondazione Antonio Ratti. The park annexed to the villa, which already displays permanent works by Gerry Bibby, Jimmie Durham, Liliana Moro, Matt Mullican and Richard Nonas, will be enriched by the presence of installations by artists who over the years have participated in the Artists’ Research Laboratory, including Invernomuto, Daniel Jablonsky and Oscar Santillan.
Inside the villa, further exhibition sections illustrate Antonio Ratti’s textile archive: set out on large tables are works by artists who over the years have collaborated with foundation, such as Jimmie Durham, Giuseppe Gabellone, Mario Garcia Torres, Melanie Gilligan, Joan Jonas, Christina Mackie, Tomas Nervi, and Walid Raad.
Lastly, the exhibition reaches the city, spreading across Como’s streets and buildings with works and performances by Hans Haacke, Alfredo Jaar and
Oriol Vilanova.
This exhibition is an opportunity to tell the life and story of a visionary entrepreneur and to pursue the vision Antonio Ratti sought and supported throughout his life towards the spreading and sharing of cultural values.

ANTONIO RATTI
Antonio Ratti, entrepreneur and art patron from Como, creator of the homonymous company and foundation, based his business on research and innovation with constant attention to the social context and the quality of the working environment. In his work, cultural and artistic activities have always been an essential element towards the creation of a high-quality product. Antonio Ratti’s vision unfolds from the idea that textiles are, in fact, a cultural product. In the pioneering complex designed by Tito Spini in 1958 for Ratti S.p.A., the Palazzina dei Servizi Sociali was used as a canteen during the day, while in the evening, it would host concerts, theatrical performances, courses, and debates open to the workers. The need to find inspiration for the creation of new textile designs led Antonio Ratti to collect antique textiles from all over the world. In 1985, his prestigious textile collection became the heart of the cultural foundation that still bears his name today.
Here, in addition to the study and conservation of the textile archive and collection, the CSAV – Artists’ Research Laboratory program is held every year, where young artists from all over the world have the opportunity to deepen their practices meeting the great masters of the contemporary art scene. Over the years, Fondazione Antonio Ratti has become a reference point for research, an idea incubator, and a place open to exchange and experimentation.