The CID/Arti Visive collection has grown through the acquisition of archives with important historical and artistic value, many of which began as personal libraries of critics and scholars, or as archives of magazines, institutions, and foundations.
It includes Italian and international catalogues from 1950 to today, more than 330 specialist magazines, audiovisual materials, and other items that document the history of contemporary art.
Ferruccio Marchi founded the art publishing house Centro Di in Florence in 1968. After his death in 1982, the City of Prato acquired the entire archive for the CID/Arti Visive. The archive includes around 7,100 items such as brochures, catalogues, monographs, and art posters, with a particular focus on Arte Povera, Land Art, and Conceptual Art.