The Fondazione Ragghianti owns, in addition to the Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti Archive, deposited on several occasions from 1998 to 2012, archives of individuals, institutions and companies, all linked to the world of visual arts. Among the private archives we find those of art historians, architects and graphic designers: Ida Cardellini, Licia Collobi, Silvio Coppola, Lorenzo Guerrini, Hugh Honur e John Fleming, Pier Carlo Santini.
In addition, the Fondazione owns the archive of the design and graphic studio Ai Granai. Recently acquired is the archive of the Università Internazionale dell’Arte (International University of art), founded by Ragghianti in 1966.
In 2014 the Soprintendenza Archivistica per la Toscana (Archival Superintendence for Tuscany) declared the
Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti Archive of interest particularly important.
A description of the deposited archives at the Fondazione Centro Studi Ragghianti is also present in the SIUSA (Unified Information System for the Supervision Agencies) in the section Archivi di personalità. Censimento dei fondi toscani tra ‘800 e ‘900 (Census of the archives of Cultural Personalities in Tuscany between 800’s and 900’s).
An appointment with Francesca Pozzi (in charge of the archives) or with Sara Meoni, is required to access the archives, calling 0039 (0)583 467205 or emailing to archivi@fondazioneragghianti.it.
Access is governed by a regulation. The loan request for documents useful for exhibitions must be received at least 90 days in advance of the opening of the exhibition itself.
The Fond of Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti
The Fond Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti is an integral part of a donation of 1981 from Ragghianti and his wife to the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, consisting of library, photo-library and archive. The transfer of the entire documentation took place over several years, until 2012.
The whole documentary, as a private archive, reflects the multiple interests and activities carried out by its owner. Initially lacking in order, the fond was later subdivided in series.
The documentation about the political role played by Ragghianti in various way, is collected in the series Attività politica, in which there are papers related to the CTLN (Comitato Toscano di Liberazione Nazionale), to the Partito d’Azione and to the period when Ragghianti was under-secretary.
The most substantial series is represented by the Carteggio generale (General correspondence).
Ordered and sorted by correspondent, it consists of letters but also of telegrams, postcards and tickets, for a total of about 37,000 documents. The series covers a period from 1929 to 1987.
The series Commissione Assistenza Distribuzione Materiali Artigianato (Craft Materials Distribution Assistance Commission) includes the papers relating to the project of 1948, by Ragghianti and Max Ascoli, for the promotion of the Florentine and Italian crafts.
The evidences of the production of art films, in collaboration with Adriano Olivetti and with the film company Romor Film by Alberto Moravia, are collected in the series Critofilm.
The papers relating to the constitution of the Museo di Arte Contemporanea di Firenze (MIAC) and to various donations, among which the one made by Alberto della Ragione to the Comune di Firenza (Florence Municipality), are collected in the series Musei e donazioni. Another series strictly connected to the MIAC, is the one named Alluvione di Firenze (Florence flood), consisting of the papers of the Comitato del Fondo Internazionale per Firenze (International Fund Committee for Florence). The series illustrates the strong adhesion of the world community to the call for fundraising and staffing, addressed by Ragghianti, for the
recovery of the cultural heritage of the city of Florence.
The participation of Ragghianti in the Joint Parliamentary Commission in 1957 and in the Franceschini Commission in 1964, and more in general his central role in the debate that will lead to the constitution of the Ministero per i beni culturali e l’ambiente (Ministry for cultural heritage and the environment), are evidenced by the documents published in the series Patrimonio artistico (Artistic heritage).
The series Scuola e università (School and university), which collects the papers of the presidency of the Associazione Difesa e Sviluppo Scuola Pubblica in Italia (Association for Defence and Development of the Public School in Italy) and the documents relating to the university reform, fits in the wake of the reformist activity. The part relating to the teaching is instead collected in the series Università di Pisa and Istituto di Storia dell’Arte (University of Pisa and Institute of Art History).
The intellectual production of Ragghianti is collected in the series Pubblicazioni e scritti (Publications and writings), which preserves poems and early novellas, articles and essays published in newspapers and specialized magazines, monographic works and editorial projects.
Some of the most representative series of the figure of Ragghianti are: Critica d’Arte (Art critic) and SeleArte, featuring materials related to the two magazines, and the two series Studio Italiano di Storia dell’Arte (Italian study of art history) and La Strozzina, in which there are evidences of shows and exhibitions.
The series Università Internazionale dell’Arte (UIA), born after the flood of 1966, and the biographic section are currently in the process of being reorganized.