“Collectors are often blamed for a certain selfishness. They are said to want to possess without giving anything. I, on the other hand, believe that collectors are nevertheless also great altruists. By arranging and collecting, they create perfect little worlds of the past and the neglected. They thus attain valuable knowledge. They also know that their possession will not belong to them for long, because time passes and others will come after them. Collections that remain intact are important for future generations, they are a true gift. And this is enough to justify all the waste and financial sacrifices the collector has to endure”.
Serge Brignoni, 1989.
In 1985 Swiss artist Serge Brignoni donated his collection of more than 650 masterpieces of South Sea art to the City of Lugano, giving birth to the Museo delle Culture – MUSEC. Since then, the museum has had the honour of receiving numerous other prestigious collections of ethnic and oriental art, photography, contemporary and applied art. Works donated or long-term loan at MUSEC have been or will be the protagonists of dedicated temporary exhibitions. We would like to thank all those who have believed in MUSEC and in its ability to enhance and conserve, as well as all those who have contributed to increasing the museum’s collections.
