The University’s new Art Gallery boasts around one hundred artworks, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and photographs by artists such as Tullio Vietri, Giovanni Pulze, Arturo Rietti, Marcello Mascherini, Twombly Cy, Serse Roma and Giacinto Cerone, donated to the University thanks to the initiative ‘A Trieste mi piaceva tornare: doni arte per il Centenario dell'Università’ (I liked coming back to Trieste: gifts of art for the University's centenary).

Special mention should go to the ten works of contemporary art, mixed media and installations, created as part of the #SBLAD – Shine Bright Like A Diamond, Residenze d’artista (Artist Residencies).

The new exhibition space, which will in the future also be open to the whole city and not only to students and the university community, is the result of the artistic projects organized for UniTS’ centenary.

It was, in fact, the University Museum Services (smaTs) that wanted to create a new centenary collection through the Donors ’24 project that was connected to the famous 1953-1954 Art Exhibition held at the University of Trieste.

Many artists and collectors expressed their willingness to donate one or more works to commemorate the University's centenary, a selection of which was already exhibited in summer 2024 at the centenary exhibition held at the Pomis Bastion of San Giusto Castle.

In continuity with that initiative and almost serving as a seal for the entire centenary, the University of Trieste has now committed itself to enhancing the significant artistic heritage donated to the University.

So that generosity of artists and donors could live on and be shared, a suitable space was found to preserve and exhibit the donated works. In this way the University’s cultural heritage shall be conserved, enjoyed and transmitted to future generations. This is why the University of Trieste Art Gallery was created in the humanities section of UniTS library.

The Art Gallery will be a permanent place for reflection on the relationship and mutual interaction between universities, art, culture and society. It will be a place that will allow visitors to appreciate the complexity of contemporary art, to identify the works that most move them and that best narrate both the major challenges and the opportunities arising from the rapid and profound cultural changes of our day.

The publication of the Donors Catalogue ’24 accompanies and illustrates the inauguration of the University of Trieste Art Gallery.

The opening was attended by: the Rector, Roberto Di Lenarda; the Head of the Department of Humanities, Massimo Degrassi; Francesca Fiorentini (smaTs Coordinator) and Bruno Callegher (smaTs staff member); Ilaria Garofolo, former Deputy Rector for Energy and Building management, Anna del Bianco, FVG Director for Culture and Sport; Lorenzo Michelli, curator of the installation of the Art Gallery.