The original nucleus of the "Raccolta Lercaro" dates back to 1971, when four artists from Bologna (Aldo Borgonzoni, Pompilio Mandelli, Enzo Pasqualini,Ilario Rossi) donated some of their works to Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro (1891-1976), Archbishop Emeritus of Bologna, on the occasion of his eightieth birthday.
This nucleus has been enriched over the years, with many other works of art, to become a real collection.
Since 2009, Bishop Ernesto Vecchi, President of the Foundation Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro, asked the new director, Andrea Dall'Asta S. I. ,to rethink the setting up of the exhibition to allow the acquisition of spaces for temporary exhibitions and for the promotion of various activities cultural.
The "Raccolta Lercaro", in fact, has the ambition to become a place of cultural production, for educating young people and for meditation through the image. This task is chosen to show how the Beauty witness the desire of man towards the absolute.
The collection includes works by Giacomo Manzù, Francesco Messina, Augusto Murer, Eugenio Pellini, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Vittorio Tavernari, AdolfoWildt and many others. Among the paintings and graphics, works by Giacomo Balla, Giorgio Morandi, Filippo de Pisis, Guttuso and Emilio Ambron.