Pae White, Demimondaine, 2017, installation view, kaufmann repetto, Milan. Courtesy of the artist and kaufmann repetto, Milano / New York. Photo: Andrea Rossetti
Locations
kaufmann repetto Milan
via di Porta Tenaglia 7
20121 Milan
kaufmann repetto New York
55 Walker Street
10013 New York
United States
Established in 2000, kaufmann repetto is a gallery with venues in Milan and New York. Since its inception, the gallery has been dedicating its international program to the investigation of social and political themes within the field of artistic production, with a special focus on research of the feminine.
Embracing a multitude of media and artistic approaches, the gallery has continuously promoted ambitious site-specific installations and projects, fostering the dialogue between artists and the space that hosts them. After ten years in its historical location, the gallery expanded its spaces in 2010 in Milan’s central Brera district, adding also a courtyard for outdoor installations.
Nicolas Party, Two Naked Woman, 2015, installation view, kaufmann repetto, Milan. Courtesy the artist and kaufmann repetto, Milan / New York. Photo: Andrea Rossetti
In 2013, the gallery opened a second venue in Chelsea in New York, relocated in 2019 to 55 Walker Street, contributing to the flourishing of Tribeca’s vivid art community. kaufmann repetto is run in partnership between Francesca Kaufmann and Chiara Repetto.
Vent’anni – Twenty Years, 2020, exhibition view, kaufmann repetto, Milan. Courtesy the artists and kaufmann repetto, Milan / New York. Photo: Andrea Rossetti
Exhibitions
City
Exhibition
Date
Milano
Ambienti Luminosi, Bruno Munari
Until 31.12.2025
Milano
Back Facing Front, Thea Djordjadze
Until 28.02.2026
Milano
Exhale/Inhale, Gaëlle Choisne
Until 28.02.2026
“I wanted to give the artists an “Italian” experience in an architecturally stimulating setting, just a stone’s throw from cultural landmarks like Brera, La Scala and the Triennale.”
Chiara Repetto and Francesca Kaufmann. Courtesy kaufmann repetto. Photo: Billy Sullivan
In conversation with Francesca Kaufmann and Chiara Repetto, kaufmann repetto
What does the art exhibited in galleries offer to contemporary society? What role does the gallerist play in Italy today?
Galleries are a meeting place for artists, collectors, curators and institutions. Aside from their commercial role, Italian galleries mount hundreds of exhibitions every year that are free to the public, and this is a really important contribution to the cultural scene.
Tell us about your background?
Francesca: In the ‘90s, I trained with galleries like Guenzani, Claudia Gian Ferrari, Esther Schipper and Metro Pictures. Working with Alighiero Boetti was also a vital experience. Working with Alighiero Boetti was also a vital experience.
Chiara: After doing a Masters’ degree and a stint working in literary publishing, I started managing the gallery from behind the scenes, galvanized by the energy and intellectual stimulation it exuded.
Tell us about the space you chose for your gallery and the area around it.
In the ‘90s, unlike other countries, Italy still had really strong ties to its past. I knew for certain that I wanted my space to be in Milan, a city I’ve always loved. And my choice to open in the historic center certainly wasn’t a random one – I wanted to give the artists an “Italian” experience in an architecturally stimulating setting, just a stone’s throw from cultural landmarks like Brera, La Scala and the Triennale.
Eva Rothschild, Middle Temple, 2015, kaufmann repetto, Milan. Courtesy the artist and kaufmann repetto, Milan / New York. Photo: Andrea Rossetti
Your program: what type of art do you deal in?
We’ve always concentrated on work by women, on political and social issues, on activist practices within the artistic context. We also tend to favor site-specific projects so that a dialogue can be created between the artist, the gallery setting and the city: a sort of “relational aesthetic” in the artist’s work and the fact of it being shared with the world beyond the gallery.
The first exhibition in your gallery?
We opened in the year 2000 with Candice Breitz, who was fresh from the Istanbul Biennale. Presenting a video installation in a small “white cube” space overlooking an eighteenth-century courtyard wasn’t a predictable choice, but actually a manifesto. The gallery then grew on the basis of the values we shared with Candice, and later, with many other male and female artists who believe, as we do, in an art that requires commitment.
Latifa Echakhch, Verso, 2012, kaufmann repetto, Milan. Courtesy the artist and kaufmann repetto Milan / New York. Photo: Roberto Marossi Photo: Roberto Marossi
