The Gió Marconi Gallery was opened in 1990 on the initiative of Gió Marconi, who had previously created Studio Marconi 17, an experimental space for young artists and curators that he ran from 1987 to 1990. At the beginning, the new gallery was directed by Gió and his gallerist father Giorgio, who had earlier founded the Studio Marconi (1965-1992).
Kerstin Brätsch, Full-Fall presents Kerstin Brätsch (Poli’ahu’s Cure), 2016, exhibition view, Gió Marconi, Milan. Courtesy the artist and Gió Marconi, Milan. Photo: Andrea Rossetti
In its opening year, the gallery showcased exhibitions by Martin Kippenberger, Mario Schifano and Richard Hamilton. In the 30 years to follow, Gió Marconi Gallery developed a vibrant exhibition program and its own consistent approach to exhibiting and combining brave choices well ahead of their time.
Mario Schifano, Qualcos’altro, 2020, exhibition view, Gió Marconi, Milan. Courtesy the artist and Gió Marconi, Milan. Photo: Filippo Armellin
Throughout the decades, the gallery has continued to support the careers of its artists, promoting their work to audiences and institutions in Italy and abroad.
While the focus of the gallery has always been on contemporary artists, it has gradually started to include historical artists of the Studio Marconi as well.
Exhibitions
City
Exhibition
Date
Milano
Everyday Mystery, Alice Visentin
Until 20.12.2024
Milano
Lavish Phantoms of the House of Dust, Tai Shani
Until 20.12.2024
Milano
Friends, Foes, Beds and Beaus, Patrizio Di Massimo
From 31.01.2025
“I wouldn’t be a gallerist if I weren’t a passionate collector.”
It was thanks to my father, who opened Studio Marconi in 1965, and so I grew up surrounded by art. Then I studied photography and worked in France and the United States. In 1986, I opened my first exhibition space at via Tadino 17: an experimental laboratory for young Italian and international artists. In 1990, I opened the Galleria Gió Marconi, which I still run today.
Why did you choose Milan?
I was born there, I live there, I like it. It is the capital of fashion and design, and also art. And recently, after Expo 2015, people have started seeing it with new eyes, seeing it as a beautiful city, no longer just an important financial centre, but a cultural hub and location for international events.
Gió Marconi, Milano. Courtesy Gió Marconi. Photo: Filippo Armellin
What kind of art do you deal with?
I am interested in the work of artists active on the current international art scene: Franz Ackermann, John Bock, André Butzer, Alex Da Corte, Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg, Wade Guyton, Tobias Rehberger, Markus Schinwald, Fredrik Værslev, Atelier Van Lieshout. At the same time, I continue to represent the artists from my father Giorgio’s Studio Marconi, including Valerio Adami, Enrico Baj, Lucio Fontana, Man Ray, Louise Nevelson, Mimmo Rotella and Mario Schifano.
How has the art market changed since you opened your gallery?
The change since I opened in the 1980s has been radical. Artists used to have to wait to be anointed by the critic of the day; today, the institutional world is influenced by the market. Everything is faster, more international, more “globalised” now, and digital technology makes it possible to amplify contact with the public, though the experience of seeing a work of art “live” is still unique.
Are you a collector?
I would say so. I wouldn’t be a gallerist if I weren’t a passionate collector.
Wade Guyton, Siamo arrivati, in forma abbreviata, 2017, exhibition view, Gió Marconi, Milan. Courtesy the artist and Gió Marconi, Milan. Photo: Filippo Armellin
