In San Gimignano, “L’altra galleria” showcases new acquisitions and works never before exhibited
San Gimignano is a city that seems to have already told its whole story. The medieval towers that dominate the city skyline, the squares that have earned it a place among the World Heritage Sites, and the landscape that has inspired travelers and artists for centuries. Yet, behind the town’s most iconic image, there is another story. A story made up of recently acquired works, paintings that have long remained in the storage rooms of the Civic Museums, restorations, donations, and documents that today come together to recount five centuries of art.
This is the inspiration behind “The Other Gallery: New Acquisitions and Unveiled Works from the Civic Museums of San Gimignano”, an exhibition scheduled to run from July 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027 at the Santa Chiara Museum Complex. Curated by Valerio Bartoloni, director of the Civic Museums, the exhibition brings together nearly ninety works, including bronzes, majolica, paintings, drawings, and prints dating from the second half of the 15th century to the end of the 20th century.
Many are being presented to the public for the first time, while others are on view again following restoration; while still others bear witness to the steady growth of the civic collections through an acquisition policy that in recent years has helped to complete and enrich the city’s museum heritage.
“Another” Story of the City of Towers
Founded in 1906 by Ugo Nomi, the collection of the Civic Museums of San Gimignano is the result of over a century of study, research, and new acquisitions. And it is precisely this continuous evolution that lies at the heart of the exhibition.
The title, L’altra galleria, suggests the existence of a parallel narrative to the permanent collections. A journey that expands the city’s story and guides visitors from the origins of the Civic Museum to the founding of the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, offering a more nuanced interpretation of San Gimignano’s artistic history.
As the curator emphasizes, the recent acquisitions are not simply driven by a desire to increase the number of works, but by the need to fill certain gaps in the existing collections and offer new perspectives. This effort combines preservation with promotion, restoring visibility to works that have long remained out of the public eye.
From Niccolò Cannicci to Pietro Annigoni: The Artists Who Have Interpreted San Gimignano
The exhibition is organized into five thematic sections.
The first, “An Eclectic Collection: The Pacchiani Donation”, presents a selection of bronzes and majolica dating from the 15th to the 18th centuries, which were added to the collections thanks to a donation by Fiamma Pacchiani, continuing a previous family collection.
This is followed by “Between the 16th and 18th Centuries. Popular Devotion”, dedicated to evidence of the town’s spirituality. Among votive offerings dedicated to Saint Fina and paintings of particular historical interest, a snapshot emerges of the religious life and popular devotion that have accompanied the San Gimignano community for centuries.
One of the most interesting sections, however, is the one titled “More Than an Academy. San Gimignano and Its Interpreters Between the 19th and 20th Centuries”, where the city is portrayed through the eyes of the artists who painted its landscapes, vistas, and atmospheres.
Among the featured artists, Niccolò Cannicci stands out as a leading figure in late 19th-century Tuscan painting, represented by six works. Among these is Guardianella di tacchini from 1887, chosen as the exhibition’s symbolic image.
Alongside Cannicci, the exhibition features Raffaele De Grada, Pietro Annigoni, Guido Peyron, Augusto Bastianini, Antonio Salvetti, Ugo Capocchini, Mino Maccari, and Vincenzo Ciardo, along with catalogs, letters, magazines, and archival documents that evoke the cultural climate that shaped the city’s artistic life between the 19th and 20th centuries.
The “Genius Loci” section, on the other hand, is dedicated to artists from San Gimignano. Works by Gaetano Lari, Garibaldo Cepparelli, and Angiolo Martinucci draw attention to figures who have not yet been thoroughly explored but are fundamental to understanding the connection between art and the local area.
When San Gimignano Looked Toward the Contemporary
The exhibition concludes with “Contemporary Revival”, a section that recalls the exhibition series launched by the Municipality of San Gimignano beginning in the 1970s and the founding of the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Here are displayed works donated for the temporary exhibitions organized during the last two decades of the 20th century by artists such as Ernesto Treccani, Sebastián Matta, and Nunzio. This collection tells the story of a city capable of engaging with the contemporary world and, over time, building a collection that today represents an important part of its cultural identity.
Posters, graphic designs, and archival materials also evoke the atmosphere of that era, reminding us that the history of museums is made up not only of works of art, but also of encounters, exhibitions, and relationships that continue to leave their mark.
A Collection That Continues to Grow
At the end of the exhibition, some of the works on display will become part of the permanent collection of the Civic Museums, confirming the dynamic nature of a collection that continues to grow.
In September 2026, Sillabe will publish the exhibition catalog, featuring texts by Valerio Bartoloni and Antonio Natali, with entry descriptions contributed by various art historians. From September through February, there will also be talks, guided tours, and in-depth sessions dedicated to the key figures featured in the various sections.
For those who know San Gimignano primarily for its towers, L’altra galleria offers the opportunity to explore a less obvious but equally fascinating history—that of a museum founded over a century ago and of a city that, while continuing to preserve its past, still adds new chapters to its history today.
