Fondazione Roberto Longhi

The Fondazione Roberto Longhi, officially known as the Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell'Arte Roberto Longhi, is an art historical research institute located at Via Benedetto Fortini 30 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Established in 1971, the foundation preserves and promotes the intellectual legacy of the renowned Italian art historian Roberto Longhi, who lived and worked there until his death in 1970. The institution curates his extensive personal library, photographic archive, and art collection, all bequeathed specifically for the advantage of young generations. It operates as a premier center for scholarly activities, emphasizing rigorous methodological approaches to art historical research and supporting emerging scholars through annual fellowships.

Roberto Longhi acquired the property in 1939, residing there with his wife, the writer Lucia Lopresti (known as Anna Banti), until his passing in 1970. In his will, Longhi bequeathed his home, furnishings, and scholarly resources to establish a foundation dedicated to the benefit of young generations. The Fondazione Roberto Longhi was legally established in 1971 through the efforts of his wife, fulfilling his testamentary wishes. Beginning in 1972, the institution initiated its core mission of awarding research scholarships to Italian and international scholars. Following the death of Anna Banti in 1985, her personal and literary archives were integrated into the foundation's holdings. In 2022, the foundation published its archives online, featuring 12,000 letters of correspondence from artists and intellectuals, alongside 250 drawings made by Longhi himself, mostly reproductions of known paintings. A comprehensive project launched in 2024 to digitize all 70,000 photographic objects in the collection.

The foundation's resources encompass a specialized library, a photographic archive, and an art collection assembled by Longhi over his lifetime. The library contains 36,000 volumes dedicated to the history of art, with a particular emphasis on Italian art from the Middle Ages through the modern era. The fototeca preserves over 70,000 photographs, providing essential research resources for studying Italian art from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The art collection spans the 13th to the 20th century, reflecting Longhi's connoisseurship and formalist interests, particularly in Renaissance and Baroque painting. The foundation's preferred sphere of interest includes art historical research, specific artistic themes, and contemporary art.

The art collection includes significant works of Italian and Baroque painting. Notable early Italian works include a Nativity by the school of Cimabue, Two Apostles and a Cherub by Luca di Tomme, and a Virgin with Child and Saints by Pietro da Rimini. The collection is particularly strong in Caravaggism and Baroque art, featuring Caravaggio's Boy Bitten by a Lizard, Valentin de Boulogne's Denial of St. Peter, and Jusepe de Ribera's intimate portraits of Saints Paul, Philip, Thomas, and Judas Thaddeus. Other Baroque holdings include Menace of Storm at Calafuria by Agostino Tassi, Bacchus and Ariadne by Gaetano Gandolfi, Boy with a Basket of Flowers by Dosso Dossi, an Allegory of Vanity by Angelo Caroselli, Samson and Delilah by Gioacchino Assereto, a Rocky Landscape by Gaspard Dughet, Susanna and the Elders by Mattia Preti, and a Sleeping Pilgrim by Giacomo Ceruti. Later works include a Portrait of a Young Man as a Painter by Fra Galgario, a Madonna col Bambini e San Giovannino by Guido Reni, and a Still Life by Giorgio Morandi.

The foundation is headquartered in Villa Il Tasso, also known as Villa Il Ficalbo, situated in the Gavinana quarter of Florence. The villa's dual name derives from a white fig tree that once grew in the area and a large yew tree, or tasso, growing in the park. The property historically belonged to the Alberti family before passing to the Paradiso monastery, which entrusted it to the Florentine humanist and Dante commentator Cristoforo Landino in 1480. After the monastery closed, the property transferred to the Compagnia dei Poveri di San Giovanni Battista before returning to private hands under the Guasconi, Morocchi, Tolomei, Giorni, and Campani families. Despite its ancient origins, the building presents a modest 19th century structure. The facade facing the road to Florence retains traces of the 15th century, while the rear section was added by the Longhi family. A 1704 stone plaque near the gate marks the one mile distance to Florence, and the boundary wall features graffiti dated 1830.

The Fondazione Roberto Longhi operates primarily as a research institute rather than a public museum. The pinacoteca and its collections are open only to scholars and by appointment, though general visitors can book guided tours in advance. The foundation's activities include organizing art exhibits, publications, lessons, conferences, seminars, and international scholarly meetings. A central function is the annual awarding of competitive research fellowships to young Italian and foreign scholars. Since 1971, the foundation has granted 480 fellowships, with many recipients going on to work in major museums or holding professorships at prominent universities worldwide. An associated group, the Amici della Fondazione, established by statute, actively promotes and funds initiatives to disseminate Longhi's intellectual heritage.