Built at the beginning of the 1900s following the plans of the engineer Carlo Saroldi, Gamba castle was commissioned by Charles Maurice Gamba, daughter of Count Christin d‘Entrèves. Today the castle houses an exhibition route distributed through 13 rooms, with over 150 works of art such as paintings, sculptures, installations, drawings and photographs belonging to a regional collection dating back from the end of the 19th century to the present day.
Beside the works of the maestros of the 20th century, including the sculptures of Martini, Mastroianni, Manzù, Arnaldo and Giò Pomodoro, and paintings by Casorati, De Pisis, Carrà and Guttuso, the collection documents Italian figurative art production from the second half of the century up to contemporary research exponents, such as Schifano, Baruchello, Rama and Mainolfi.A vast and varied selection of works testifies to the movements that have animated the Italian art scene over the past 25 years: for example, the exhibition hosts representations of informal art, geometric abstraction, transavantgarde and pop art. Particular importance is given to the Aosta Valley region through the activity of local artists, or those active in the Valley, on regional commission.
References:The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.