Fondazione Antonio Ratti

What Fondazione Antonio Ratti does

Fondazione Antonio Ratti is a non-profit cultural foundation established in 1985 in Como, Italy by the textile entrepreneur Antonio Ratti. It operates at the intersection of textile heritage preservation and contemporary art, maintaining a museum collection, a specialized library and textile sample archive, and a conservation laboratory. Since 1996 it has also run the Centro Studi per l'Arte della Fondazione Ratti (CSAF), which commissions and exhibits works by international contemporary artists, extending the institution's mission from preservation into active artistic production.

The foundation's core activities include textile conservation and restoration, curation of exhibitions drawn from its own collection and loaned works, scholarly research and publication, and educational programs — most notably a long-running advanced course in textile conservation delivered in partnership with international institutions. Its outputs span museum exhibitions, academic publications, limited editions, and training programs for conservators and curators.

The business model is that of a grant- and donation-funded non-profit. Revenue is generated from a mix of public and private grants, philanthropic donations, sales of publications and limited editions, course tuition, and ancillary cultural programming. The foundation is small (11-50 employees) and serves a diverse audience including museum visitors, exhibition attendees, international scholars and students, contemporary artists, collectors, and institutional partners. No revenue, budget, or financial performance figures are publicly disclosed in the available input.

Name

Fondazione Antonio Ratti

Legal name

Fondazione Antonio Ratti ETS

Website

https://fondazioneratti.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fondazione Antonio Ratti is a non-profit cultural foundation in Como, Italy, established in 1985, dedicated to textile heritage conservation, contemporary art commissioning through CSAF, scholarly publishing, and advanced conservation education for an international scholarly and artistic audience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Arts Foundation

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI), Art Museums (THAJADAA)

Keywords

• Textile collection
• Contemporary art
• Artist residency
• Cultural exhibitions
• Textile research

Headquarters

HQ city

Como

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Publication Sales: Sale of current and past FAR publications through the online shop, with prices ranging from €5 to €75 for various titles.
2. Artist Limited Edition Series: Sale of limited edition artworks created by artists who have collaborated with FAR, including Giulio Paolini, Joan Jonas, Matt Mullican, and Tacita Dean. Prices range from €250 to €500.
3. Donations and Support: Monetary donations from private individuals and corporate supporters, including bank transfers and PayPal donations.
4. 5x1000 Tax Designation: Italian tax mechanism allowing donors to allocate 0.5% of income tax to the foundation (fiscal code: 01540810130).
5. Private and Public Grants: Funding from foundations (Epson, Cariplo, Mondriaan Fund), corporations (Ratti S.p.A., Confindustria), government bodies (Municipality of Como, MIBACT Ministry of Culture, Camera di Commercio), and international organizations (Dutch Embassy).
6. Paid Educational Programs: Course fees such as the 'Due secoli e mezzo di storia e storie tessili' course priced at €400 for 5 sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Fondazione Antonio Ratti is a non-profit cultural foundation that preserves and exhibits a textile collection of more than 30,000 pieces, runs contemporary art exhibitions and the CSAV Artists' Research Laboratory residency program, maintains a specialized library with the world's most complete collection of textile literature (Seth Siegelaub), and offers educational courses, guided tours, publications, and limited edition artworks. It operates from the historic Villa Sucota on Lake Como and provides free admission to the public.

Product overview

Fondazione Antonio Ratti is a non-profit cultural foundation established in 1985 by textile entrepreneur Antonio Ratti. Located in Villa Sucota, Como, the Foundation operates as a cultural center focused on textile preservation and contemporary art. Its core offerings include: the Textile Collection (over 3,300 textile fragments spanning 3rd-20th century from global cultures, plus 3,000 sample books); the Digital Caveau (a multimedia catalog providing digital access to the collection); the Artists' Research Laboratory CSAV (an annual workshop program for emerging artists running since 1995); Publications (books and catalogs on textiles and art); FAR Artist Limited Edition Series (art editions supporting the Foundation); a specialized Library (7,800+ volumes on textiles, fashion, and visual arts); a Sculpture Park (permanent outdoor installations); and educational programs including exhibitions, courses, lectures, and workshops. The Foundation serves scholars, designers, students, and the general public through its public programs and research activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Publications Books, catalogs, and scholarly publications covering textiles, fashion history, art theory, and the CSAV program, available for purchase through the online shop. Topics range from Marxist theory to textile aesthetics and contemporary art. Prices range from €5 (Giardini di Seta) to €75 (Bibliographica Textilia Historiae), with most publications in the €10-€40 range.
• FAR Artist Limited Edition Series Limited edition art prints and works created by artists who have collaborated with the Foundation, including Giulio Paolini (€250), Matt Mullican (€350), Tacita Dean (€450), and Joan Jonas (€500). Sold to support the Artists' Research Laboratory.
• Library Services One of Italy's largest collections dedicated to textiles, costume, and fashion, with over 7,800 cataloged volumes plus special collections including the Grazietta Butazzi Fund (1,318 publications), TGL Fund (496 antique volumes), and Seth Siegelaub Library (9,000+ publications). Offers interlibrary loan through the SBIC system since 2010.
• Guided Tours of the Foundation and Textile Collection Guided tours of the Foundation, Textile Collection, and Sculpture Park available Monday to Friday for groups of 10 or more by appointment. Provided free of charge at Villa Sucota in Como.
• Educational Course - Two Centuries and a Half of Textile History (1690-1939) Paid educational course covering two and a half centuries of textile history (1690-1939), priced at €400 for 5 sessions. Full payment required at registration. Aimed at students and culture enthusiasts seeking structured learning on textile heritage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 textile pieces preserved and made accessible for research
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Triennale MilanocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Major Italian cultural institution co-organizing 'Seth Siegelaub: Textile Art Theory' exhibition (Oct 2023-Jan 2024), displayed at both Triennale Milano and FAR Villa Sucota.
• Egress FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Foundation directed by Marja Bloem that donated Seth Siegelaub's textile collection to FAR in 2012, enabling the acquisition of this major collection.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo: Turin-based contemporary art foundation with residencies, exhibitions, and educational programming. Comparable as a privately funded Italian arts foundation of similar scale targeting emerging artists and the public.
• Triennale Milano: Milan design and contemporary art institution and FAR's exhibition partner. Comparable operating model as an Italian cultural foundation hosting design, art, and architecture exhibitions with public programs.
• TextielMuseum (TextielLab): Tilburg-based textile museum and contemporary textile innovation lab. Closely comparable as a working textile museum combining historic collection with contemporary artist residencies and maker programs.
• Fabric Workshop and Museum: Philadelphia museum combining artist residencies with textile and material-focused fabrication. Closely comparable as an institution that pairs a working artist-in-residence program with a textile/material collection and exhibitions.
• Museo del Tessuto: Italian textile museum in Prato dedicated to the history of textile production and fashion. Direct peer given overlapping textile-collection, exhibition, and educational missions within Italy.

Emerging players

• Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT): Hong Kong non-profit art center dedicated to textile heritage, contemporary art, and community making. Comparable as an emerging heritage-meets-contemporary-art institution with residencies and textile collections.

Broad incumbents

• MAK – Museum of Applied Arts Vienna: Vienna museum of applied arts with a strong textile and contemporary craft collection and exhibitions program. Comparable as a European museum pairing historic textile holdings with contemporary artist commissions.
• The Museum at FIT: New York fashion museum operated by the Fashion Institute of Technology. Comparable as a fashion/textile-focused museum serving designers, scholars, and students with free admission.
• Victoria and Albert Museum (Fashion & Textiles): Major global museum with one of the world's leading textile and fashion collections. Comparable as a higher-scale institution offering textile exhibitions, conservation, and research resources.
• Palazzo Grassi – Punta della Dogana (Pinault Collection): Venice-based contemporary art foundation. Comparable as a privately funded European foundation operating exhibition venues with international artist programming, though FAR is far smaller and textile-focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/fondazioneratti
• Facebookfacebook.com/fondazioneantonioratti
• Instagraminstagram.com/fondazioneantonioratti
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondazione-antonio-ratti

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fondazione Antonio Ratti