Fondazione Antonio Ratti

The textile collection of the Fondazione Antonio Ratti is one of the most important in Italy. Begun in the 1950s by Antonio Ratti as a source of inspiration for his textiles, it continues to expand and to fascinate new generations of creatives.

The collection currently numbers more than 3,300 textile fragments. Among its most significant nuclei are Coptic and Indigenous American textiles, Italian velvets, Indian and European cashmere shawls, French silks, Kuba textiles from Congo, Central Asian ikat garments, printed cottons from Alsace, and Japanese kimono. In addition, 3,000 sample books document French and Italian industrial textile production over the last two centuries.

In 1998 the FAR collection became accessible to the public thanks to a digitization and cataloguing project and a rich programme of exhibitions, publications, and guided tours. Since then the collection has been expanded through important donations and acquisitions, and today it is a point of reference for scholars, designers, and students.

The American collections of the Fondazione Antonio Ratti are two in number: one acquired by Antonio Ratti in 2002, and the other arriving with the donation of Seth Siegelaub’s collection in 2022.