Photos by Antoine Martin
When considering Italian art, our minds often gravitate towards the Renaissance and Old Masters. However, it’s crucial to highlight Italy’s significant position in the global art market, estimated at nearly $68 billion, particularly concerning 20th and 21st-century art. Several pivotal moments catapulted Italy onto the art market stage, such as the auction sale of Lucio Fontana’s Concetto Spaziale, La Fine di Dio (1964) fetching $24.7M, and the remarkable demand and robust sales of works from the Arte Povera movement (1967-1972). Here are the top Italian art galleries seen at Art Basel Miami Beach.
Tornabuoni (Milan, Rome, Paris, London…)
Tornabuoni featured works by Carla Accardi, Valerio Adami, Alberto Biasi, Alighiero Boetti, Enrico Castellani, Sandro Chia, Christo, Dadamaino, Piero Dorazio, Lucio Fontana, Keith Haring, Emilio Isgrò, Roberto Matta, Mimmo Paladino, Mimmo Rotella, Paolo Scheggi, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann.
The gallery specializes in Post-War Italian art. Roberto Casamonti opened the gallery in 1981. It was located on Via Tornabuoni in Florence. Casamonti inherited his passion for art from his father who collected 20th century Italian art. Since then Tornabuoni has expanded with locations in Milan, Forte dei Marmi, Rome, Crans-Montana, Paris, and London.
https://www.instagram.com/tornabuoniart/
Cardi Gallery (Milan)
Cardi Gallery showed works by Davide Balliano, Paolo Scheggi, Alberto Biasi, Agostino Bonalumi, Paolo Canevari, Mimmo Paladino, and Michelangelo Pistoletto. The gallery reported significant sales including Mimmo Paladino’s Senzatitolo (2003) for $172,000 and Agostino Bonalumi’s Bianco (2013) for $90,000.
Renato Cardi founded Cardi Gallery in Milan, Italy in April 1972. He wishef to foster the work of those modern and contemporary Italian artists that he had started to presciently collect in the late 1960s. Its presentations focus on masterworks by artists from movements such as Arte Povera, Minimalism and Zero Group, part of Cardi’s extensive Italian Modern, Post-War, and contemporary inventory.
https://www.instagram.com/cardigallery/
Mazzoleni Arte (Turin)
Mazzoleni Arte presented a selection of works by post-war Italian masters including, Carla Accardi, Alighiero Boetti, Agostino Bonalumi and Salvo, in conversation with key exponents of kinetic and optical art, Jesús Rafael Soto and Victor Vasarely, among others. Their presentation highlighted the subtle, ongoing, and dynamic connection between the artists of this period and their exploration and development of space, matter, gesture, and substance in their work.
The gallery reported significant sales including a 1966 Lucio Fontana waterpainting that sold for $850,000-$950,000, and a 2013 painting by Salvo for $200,000-$250,000.00
https://www.instagram.com/mazzoleniart/
MassimoDeCarlo (Milan)
MassimoDeCarlo featured works by John Armleder, Sanford Biggers, McArthur Binion, Karin Gulbran, Jim Hodges, Jamian Juliano-Villani, Johannes Kahrs, Dennis Kardon, Spencer Lewis, Tahnee Lonsdale, John McAllister, Yan Pei-Ming, Paola Pivi, Rob Pruitt, Brian Rochefort, Ferrari Sheppard, Josh Smith, Piotr Uklański, and Xiyao Wang. The booth was a celebration of contemporary art, encompassing a variety of forms and mediums.
Founded in Milan in 1987, MassimoDeCarlo gallery has played a vital role in establishing a dialogue between its artists and institutions, for over 30 years. The artists represented on MDC’s roster have all gained international acclaim and recognition; and their works are widely collected in public and private collections.
https://www.instagram.com/massimodecarlogallery/
Galleria Lorcan O’Neill (Rome)
Galleria Lorcan O’Neill presented works by Tracey Emin, Giorgio Griffa, Gianni Politi, Kiki Smith, and Rachel Whiteread.
The gallery opened in Rome in 2003, and represents established international and Italian artists, as well as a number of emerging talents. The gallery’s principal space is housed in a large 17th Century building in the center of Rome. A secondd space for exhibitions will open soon in Venice.
https://www.instagram.com/gallerialorcanoneil
Lia Rumma Gallery (Naples, Milan)
Lia Rumma Gallery presented works by Vanessa Beecroft, Giuliano Dal Molin, Paolo Icaro, Alfredo Jaar, William Kentridge, Luca Monterastelli, Ugo Mulas, Thomas Ruff, Wael Shawky, Ettore Spalletti, Gian Maria Tosatti and Tobias Zielony.
In the 1971, the gallery opened in Naples. Since the beginning, the gallery has played a fundamental role in discovering new artistic trends emerging from the international art scene such as Arte Povera, Minimal Art, Land Art and Conceptual Art
https://www.instagram.com/liarummagallery/
About Art Basel
Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world’s premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique., which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basel’s engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through new digital platforms and a number of new initiatives such as the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. For more information, visit artbasel.com.
Planning on visiting Art Basel Miami Beach? Here’s a bird’s eye view:
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