How did the Fondazione Mazzotta start?
The Foundation started twelve years ago at the same time as the publishing activity, that is, side by side with an activity that has been now going on for at least thirty-five years. It was founded to give homage to my father Antonio, and to carry out a museum activity. I use this term because the Foundation has its own art collection, especially on paper. It is an activity that we do not fulfil only in the Foundation, but is also International. The Foundation takes part in conventions, exhibitions, workshops in the whole world. In the Foundation headquarters there are three exhibitions a year, which gather an average of 150-200.000 visitors a year. The programme is planned over five-six years, so there is anticipation. The Foundation also has a “Visual Culture Institute - Art, Science and Technology”, which will open in different premises, close to ours. The institute carries out an activity which, when it started, was truly innovative, and it was then copied by many other similar institutions.

What exhibitions do you have scheduled?
Until the 10th June we have the Kandinsky exhibition, which has totalled 80.000 visitors today. The next one will be as a homage to Picasso, and sixty-nine very well known artists, from Mirò to Liechtenstein, and in October, for the centenary of death, a great exhibition on Toulouse Lautrecht.

What are the fields of art you engage in?
We exhibit the works of great artists, but also belonging to movements, and the great masters of photography; we have a 360° attention for the world of art.

What relationship is there between art and the new technologies?
The "Visual Culture Institute" will be based on the new technologies: we will go on-line with a portal. This Kandinsky exhibition too is going on line with hundreds and hundreds of pages. The site, which will become a portal is http://www.artv.it/. We have various young people, who come from Degrees in Art history that take care of them. Internet, which lends a great deal to technologies, techniques and professions, is practically non-existing in the field of art. Every single topic is in depth. With our new project we mean to fill in this gap.

Do you think the net is an excellent art diffusion tool?
Certainly. It is very important. It is a parallel instrument to paper-based publishing, but it enables a wider distribution, which does not preclude the use of the book. I believe they are two separate and united things, complementary.