A teacher and then director at the Accademia di Belli Arti in Venice from 1945 onwards, Giuseppe De Logu (Catania, 1898 - Venice, 1971) also contributed many articles to the art history journals Emporium, L'Arte and Dedalo. A student of Adolfo Venturi, right from the beginning of his career, he showed an interest in 17th-century art with the publication of the books La pittura italiana del Seicento (1931) and Scultura italiana del Seicento e del Settecento (1932). He published several monographs, including Tiziano (1935) and Tintoretto (1964), the result of his meticulous archival research. Much of his thinking is summed up in Natura morta italiana, a book that he began work on in the late 1920s. Published in 1962, the book charts the features of so-called "minor painting".

Presented to the Institute in 1994, the archive consists of a main section associated with Natura morta italiana, bringing together the materials used for the publication of the book. It contains notes, drafts and numerous photographs used for the publication and also for other studies: these are fundamental resources for an understanding of De Logu's working method.

The inventory includes a section on Caravaggio containing the materials used for the publication of a book in 1962 with numerous details of the artist's works, plus De Logu's correspondence with his publisher.

The De Logu Archive also has a series of autograph appraisals, correspondence with prominent intellectuals, such as Licisco Magagnato and Antonio Morassi, gallery owners and private collectors.
Lastly, a section entitled "Studies, notes and offprints" contains documentation for a book on minor Tuscan and Emilian painters that was never published.