Art and culture

Located in a beautiful late sixteenth-century palazzo on Via Borgo, the museum houses the Municipal Collection and is home to two foundations; the Marianne Werefkin Foundation and the Richard and Uli Seewald Foundation. The Municipal Collection originated in 1922, when many of Ascona’s resident artists decided to donate one of their works as the basis of a future municipal museum. Among the collection’s most important works are Alexej Jawlensky’s Head of a Girl, Cuno Amiet’s Fruit Picking and Paul Klee’s The Red House, all of which were donated by the Russian painter Marianne Werefkin, together with five of her own works. In the years that followed, the collection continued to grow. A major presence is that of the Orsa Maggiore (Great Bear or Grosse Bär) group, founded by Werefkin herself together with Germans Walter Helbig and Otto Niemeyer-Holstein, Swiss Albert Kohler and Ernst Frick, Dutch Otto van Rees and American Gordon Mallet McCouch. Among the most recent acquisitions are works by Julius Bissier, Ben Nicholson and Italo Valenti, as well as the important collections Carl Weidemeyer, Charlotte Bara and Anna Iduna Zehnder.

Whether you’re a local resident, traveler with a passion for art, established or new generation artist: at the CCAA you will discover a source for intellectual and aesthetic interests, art, culture and hospitality. Expanding Ascona’s long international and regional tradition of nurturing the arts, the venue is centrally located and hosts a rich and diverse program of exhibitions, events, concerts, lectures and dialogues between artists. All this is available in the wonderful surroundings of the Galleria Sacchetti, the garden and open spaces, as well as the boutique guest rooms and charming Bistrot Stuzzichini offering delicious local specialties. The Centro provides a captivating and creative platform across the artistic spectrum: at its heart the aim of renewing the spirit of innovation and inclusivity for which Ascona is known. For more information about the extensive exhibition program or to organize an event, the Center’s team is at your disposal.

In 2024 MASI Lugano once more confirms its reputation as a vibrant hub for art, with a lineup of major exhibitions. The season opened with a tribute to the Swiss artist who wrote a key chapter of the history of photography, Ernst Scheidegger. Entitled «Eye to Eye, Giacometti, Dalí, Miró, Ernst, Chagall. Tribute to Ernst Scheidegger», the show traces the career of this extraordinary figure. It presents more than a hundred images including a number of youthful shots, most of which have not been exhibited before. The artist portraits that made Scheidegger famous are displayed in dialogue with a selection of works by the artists themselves (on until 21.07.2024). The focus on high profile international photography continues with the exhibition «Luigi Ghirri – Travel. Photographs 1970- 1991». The show presents 150 prints that explore the leading Italian photographer’s perspectives on travel, both as lived experience and in the imagination (from 08.09.2024 to 26.01.2025). The most recent contemporary practice is in the spotlight with Shahryar Nashat’s solo show «Streams of Spleen», which features a striking immersive installation (17.03.2024 – 18.08.2024). The season rounds off with an in-depth look at the history of art in the Canton of Ticino and the Museum’s collection with the exhibition «From Davos to Obino. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and the artists of the Rot-Blau group» (from 17.11.24 to 23.03.2025).