Gagosian

Takashi Murakami, 2010-2011, exhibition view, Gagosian Gallery, Rome. Courtesy Gagosian ©2010 Takashi Murakami/ Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Larry Gagosian opened his first gallery in Los Angeles in 1980. In 1985, he opened a space in New York City, showing Emily and Burton Tremaine’s famous collection. From 1989 to 1996, he managed, together with the legendary gallerist Leo Castelli, an exhibition space in SoHo dedicated to important exhibitions of post-war American art. In forty years, Gagosian has been transformed into a global network with 18 exhibition spaces, well known for their exceptional architecture and programing.

Gagosian
Anselm Kiefer, hortus philosophorum, exhibition view, 2009, Gagosian Gallery, Rome. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Giorgio Benni

Opened on December 15th, 2007, Gagosian Rome is the American network’s first gallery in continental Europe. Located in a 1921 building, between Piazza di Spagna and Via Veneto, the space was designed by the Rome-based architect Firouz Galdo. Located in a 1921 building, between Piazza di Spagna and Via Veneto, the space was designed by the Rome-based architect Firouz Galdo.

Gagosian
Gagosian Gallery, Rome. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Luigi Filetici

Since 2007, under the guidance of Pepi Marchetti Franchi, the gallery has presented over 50 exhibitions, showing many of the greatest international artists. In recent years, the gallery has also cultivated important institutional relationships that have led to major exhibition projects in various Italian cities.

Gagosian
Alexander Calder, Monumental Sculpture, exhibition view, 2009-2010, Gagosian Gallery, Rome. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Matteo Piazza

Exhibitions

City Exhibition Date
Roma Painting on Paper, 1990–2002, Helen Frankenthaler Until 23.11.2024
Roma Moving Picture (946-3) Kyoto Version, Gerhard Richter From 06.12.2024
“For a gallery, the first target audience are the artists themselves. If you have a good “stable”, the market follows. ”
Pepi Marchetti Franchi. Courtesy Mutina. Photo: Andy Massaccesi

In conversation with Pepi Marchetti Franchi, Gagosian

What is your background?

I graduated from the University of Rome La Sapienza in Contemporary Art however with a thesis on American Nineteenth Century painting (Ah Italy!). This somewhat unexpected research took me to the United States, where I decided to continue studying, eventually earning a Masters degree in Arts Administration from New York University.

Gagosian Gallery, Rome. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Luigi Filetici
How did your career in art begin?

While I was studying in New York, I started a stint at the Guggenheim Museum. I ended up staying for nine years, the last five of which I spent working with the Museum’s Director on the international programs. It was there that Larry Gagosian found me and “stole” me away. But actually, my forays into art started much earlier. When I was seven, I visited the Museum of Roman Civilization in Rome. I decided on the spot that when I grew up, I would work in a museum.

How did the Roman branch of the gallery come into being?

I was at the Guggenheim in Bilbao for the inauguration of their magnificent commission to Richard Serra. Larry Gagosian was there too. Realizing that I was from Rome, he confided that he wanted to open a gallery there and that we should talk about it once back in New York. I didn’t really give it much thought, until, during a series of conversations, he explained his idea, which I found a bit eccentric. But I guess I couldn’t resist the greatest dealer in the world, and a few months later I was on board.

Larry Gagosian. Courtesy Gagosian. Photo: Nick Harvey/WireImage
Tell us about the space you chose for your gallery and the surrounding area.

The space is a crucial ingredient in the success of the gallery: a large oval room in a 1921 building in the center of the city. Finding a space that lived up to Larry Gagosian’s expectations was one of the hardest parts. When I described it to him, he was a bit nonplussed at first – curved walls? Maybe I was obsessed with the Guggenheim? It actually turned out to be an exceptional container. Artists love it.

Why did you choose this city?

The city was an integral part of Larry’s plan. For years he’d been coming to Rome to visit Cy Twombly and realized that for artists, it’s a real heaven. Nobody would turn down an invitation to Rome, the opportunity to engage with Caravaggio, Bernini, Michelangelo. It’s not obvious, but for a gallery, the first target audience are the artists themselves. If you have a good “stable”, the market follows.

Read the full interview

Artists

  • Arakawa
  • Richard Artschwager
  • Francis Bacon
  • Balthus
  • Georg Baselitz
  • Joe Bradley
  • Glenn Brown
  • Chris Burden
  • Dan Colen
  • Michael Craig-Martin
  • Gregory Crewdson
  • John Currin
  • Willem de Kooning
  • Walter De Maria
  • Edmund de Waal
  • Roe Ethridge
  • Rachel Feinstein
  • Urs Fischer
  • William Forsythe
  • Helen Frankenthaler
  • Ellen Gallagher
  • Theaster Gates
  • Frank Gehry
  • Alberto Giacometti
  • Piero Golia
  • Douglas Gordon
  • Katharina Grosse
  • Mark Grotjahn
  • Jennifer Guidi
  • Andreas Gursky
  • Duane Hanson
  • Simon Hantaï
  • Hao Liang
  • Michael Heizer
  • Damien Hirst
  • Howard Hodgkin
  • Carsten Höller
  • Thomas Houseago
  • Tetsuya Ishida
  • Alex Israel
  • Neil Jenney
  • Jia Aili
  • Y.Z. Kami
  • Titus Kaphar
  • Anselm Kiefer
  • Jeff Koons
  • Harmony Korine
  • Shio Kusaka
  • Roy Lichtenstein
  • Vera Lutter
  • Sally Mann
  • Man Ray
  • Brice Marden
  • Adam McEwen
  • Henry Moore
  • Takashi Murakami
  • Marc Newson
  • Paul Noble
  • Albert Oehlen
  • Nam June Paik
  • Steven Parrino
  • Giuseppe Penone
  • Pablo Picasso
  • Rudolf Polanszky
  • Richard Prince
  • Nathaniel Mary Quinn
  • David Reed
  • Nancy Rubins
  • Sterling Ruby
  • Ed Ruscha
  • Jenny Saville
  • Richard Serra
  • Taryn Simon
  • Rudolf Stingel
  • Sarah Sze
  • Mark Tansey
  • Robert Therrien
  • Tatiana Trouvé
  • Cy Twombly
  • Adriana Varejão
  • Jeff Wall
  • Andy Warhol
  • Mary Weatherford
  • Tom Wesselmann
  • Franz West
  • Rachel Whiteread
  • Jonas Wood
  • Christopher Wool
  • Richard Wright
  • Zeng Fanzhi