The Foundation engages in this sector by supporting:

• the heritage of the area in question in terms of its monuments, architecture and art, by ensuring it is well maintained and promoted;
• artistic and cultural initiatives in theatre, cinema, music, dance and, more broadly, the performing arts sectors, with the aim of bringing together a variety of different organisations, and attracting a range of audiences.

Preserving, acquiring and making the testimonies of art in Bologna available to the public is one of the key objectives of the artistic and cultural activities pursued by the Fondazione Carisbo. The Art and History Collections form a heritage that testifies to the cultural, artistic and creative wealth of the city through the centuries.

The heritage of the Carisbo Foundation: its Art and History Collections

Contemporary and ancient art, paintings, prints, ceramics, musical instruments, miniatures, puppets, emblems & signs of trades and professions are amongst the treasures that feature in the extensive Art Collections that the Foundation preserves: a visual documentation of cultural, social and political changes that took place in the city, and a heritage which is appreciated and promoted through exhibitions, publications and informative meetings. 

The Foundation’s vocation as a museum was first fulfilled through the acquisition of the historical collections belonging to the original bank and, later, through a dedicated, ongoing project to recover and restore the scattered artistic heritage.

The Foundation’s involvement in museums can be seen in the following ways: conservation, promotion and giving museums opportunities to increase their Art and History Collections through new purchases and donations. The rooms on the ground floor of Casa Saraceni, where the Foundation’s headquarters are located, are used as exhibition spaces both to house works from its own Art Collections and also to host exhibitions in collaboration with third parties. In addition, exhibitions are jointly promoted with the instrumental company, Museo della Città, and organised across the various venues of the Genus Bononiae Museum tour.

The Foundation is actively engaged in the publishing field, supporting and/or publishing books, of its own initiative, on the history, culture, art and traditions of Bologna and the surrounding territory,while  also actively promoting their circulation. In addition to preserving, promoting, and providing access to an important heritage of books, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna also supports a number of publishing projects.