The extraordinary Cocif Collection is unveiled to the public.
19 September–29 November 2026
Polo Museale della Fondazione Tito Balestra – Longiano FC

There are key chapters in twentieth-century Italian painting that remained unseen for decades, preserved within a prestigious collection that has acquired an almost legendary status.
A veritable Atlantis of painting, bringing together masters who left an indelible mark on the history of Italian and European art: the Cocif Collection.

For many years, these works remained beyond the public gaze, carefully preserved and known only to a select few. Today, this remarkable heritage is finally being opened to the public, becoming the centrepiece of an exhibition conceived to share Cocif’s history and identity with the local community.

The exhibition “L’ARTE CELATA. La Collezione Cocif”, presents a journey through works by some of the most important masters of the twentieth century.
Featured artists include Felice Casorati, Giorgio de Chirico, Massimo Campigli, Antonio Ligabue, Gino Severini, Ottone Rosai, Mario Tozzi, Maurice Utrillo, Renato Guttuso, Filippo de Pisis and Carlo Carrà.

The selection is further enriched by a work by the Cesena-born painter Giovanni Cappelli, works by Silvano D’Ambrosio and Roberto Masi, together with representative examples of painting from the early eighteenth century to the late nineteenth century.

The story of this prestigious collection dates back to the mid-1990s and to the vision of Cocif’s long-serving Chairman, Vincenzo Bellavista.
The project was founded on a deeply held belief:

to create beauty, every craft must in turn be nourished by beauty. And art, in its purest form, is its highest expression.

For this reason, Cocif has always complemented its business growth with a strong commitment to cultural promotion. Over time, its interest in theatre and the visual arts has strengthened the bond between enterprise, creativity and the local community.
It was within this context that the Cocif Collection began to take shape: a cultural legacy built over the years, one work at a time.

Today, to mark its 81st anniversary, Cocif has chosen to unveil what had remained hidden for years, bringing the myth into the open and turning legend into reality.

The works held in the company’s private collection are now being made accessible to the public.
This is not simply about exhibiting works of great value, but about making a gesture of openness:

sharing a heritage built over time and offering new audiences the opportunity to discover it.

The exhibition is not merely a cultural event, but the beginning of a new vision for Cocif: one rooted in continuity, openness and the sharing of its heritage with the wider public.
A way of enriching the community through culture, while strengthening the bond between the company and its local area.

Through this exhibition, Cocif champions not only art, but also a broader culture of beauty.

This guiding principle lies at the heart of the company’s identity and is reflected in the way it conceives work, design and living spaces.

With the exhibition “L’ARTE CELATA”, Cocif opens a new window onto the world of art and shares a heritage that reveals a profound part of its own history.

The exhibition “L’ARTE CELATA. La Collezione Cocif” is organised and promoted by the Tito Balestra Foundation, which, despite being based in the small town of Longiano, has for many years been a museum and cultural centre of major importance within the region.

Established in 1991, the Foundation is constantly committed to promoting contemporary art through exhibitions, educational workshops and conferences. Its permanent collection includes graphic works of exceptional quality by artists ranging from Maccari to Matisse, Goya, Sironi and Morandi, among many others, making it one of the richest and most compelling collections in Emilia-Romagna.

It was therefore entirely natural for an institution of such prestige, dedicated to the study and promotion of modern and contemporary art, to be entrusted with the organisation of an event presenting, for the first time, a previously unseen artistic heritage centred on twentieth-century works.