What began as a collection of modern and contemporary photography that was running out of space, took shape in a vacant former kindergarten in the small community in the Valle di Muggio, Ticino. This is where the Fondazione Rolla found its home in 2010. With the help of their foundation, Rosella and Phil Rolla provide researchers and photography enthusiasts access to important works by representatives like Robert Adams, Josef Sudek, and Eugène Atget, but also to works by contemporary photographers such as Thomas Struth, James Welling, and Vincenzo Castella. The Rollas’ collection is, however, not only devoted to photography: Phil Rolla, an engineer who grew up in America, is also mainly interested in American Minimal Art. His professional background may explain Rolla’s preference for German photography, in particular for the architectural and industrial photography of Albert Renger-Patzsch, Bernd and Hilla Becher, and Christof Klute.

All images courtesy Elide Brunati and Fondazione Rolla, Bruzella

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