Revolutionary, banker and art collector: the different lives of Enrico Cernuschi (1821-1896)

After taking an active part to the Five days of Milan to free the city from the Austrian dominance (18-22 of March 1848) and the creation of the short-lived Republic of Rome in 1849, Enrico Cernuschi emigrated to France where he became a successful banker and founded the Banque de Paris in cooperation with other partners. He also ran a cooperative business; he travelled to Asia and started collecting Oriental art: his collection gave birth to the Museum of the Asian arts of Paris Musée Cernuschi. He was also an expert of monetary systems and a passionate supporter of bimetallism: he published different texts on the topic, including the famous Mécanique de l’échange. In 1928 Bocconi Library received around 720 books from the private collection of Cernuschi (many of which are signed or contain notes) and the catalogue compiled by Cernuschi himself.

Il Fondo Enrico Cernuschi della Biblioteca Bocconi.

Letters between the heirs of Cernuschi and Bocconi University discussing the donation of the collection are preserved in the University archives (Fascicolo Cernuschi).