On the initiative of the Municipality of Cento, the Il Guercino International Study Center was established on February 22, 2017, with headquarters at the Governor's Palace, in Piazza del Guercino, Cento (FE).

The Il Guercino International Study Center pursues the objectives of designing, organizing and managing studies relating to Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, nicknamed Guercino, and related works, and to ensure the valorization of the huge artistic heritage of the city of Cento consisting of the Civic Art Gallery, the “Aroldo Bonzagni” Modern Art Gallery and the Rocca, as well as the valorization of Cento artists in general, with particular reference to artists from the 14th – 16th centuries, the School of Guercino, lesser-known Cento artists from the 18th and 19th centuries, Stefano Galletti, Aroldo Bonzagni, artists from the Modern Art Gallery, and contemporary living artists. The Study Center pursues the objectives of designing and managing highly qualified programs and initiatives in the field of artistic and scientific culture, with particular reference to the study of the works of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino, and artists related to him.

It works to enhance the huge artistic heritage of the city of Cento, consisting of the Civic Art Gallery, the “Aroldo Bonzagni” Modern Art Gallery and the Rocca. It also promotes Cento artists in general, from the lesser-known ones of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to more well-known artists such as Stefano Galletti and Aroldo Bonzagni, from the artists exhibited in the Modern Art Gallery, to those who still work in the area, with clear professionalism.

From Saturday 25 November 2023, the day of the inauguration of the Civic Art Gallery il Guercino, the new headquarters of the International Study Center Il Guercino is located on the 2nd floor of the museum container in via Matteotti n. 16, inside the Civic Art Gallery itself.