Since 1997, Magazzino has supported and promoted research within the field of contemporary art, working directly with artists, critics and curators. One of the gallery’s main aims is focused on the international promotion of the work of Italian artists, whether emerging or established, as well as that of international artists exhibiting in Rome for the first time.
Another principle activity of Magazzino is the creation of exhibition projects conceived and curated specifically for the gallery space. Throughout the years, the gallery has developed several projects with its artists, supporting large-scale productions and projects, showcased in important Italian and international art exhibitions and events. This identity, together with its participation in the most important international art fairs, has served to characterize Magazzino as one of the leading galleries in Rome.
Exhibitions
City
Exhibition
Date
Roma
Neighbors, David Schutter
From 07.11.2024
““Art is us” and art can make our lives more intense, more real, more acceptable.”
Mauro Nicoletti with Mircea Cantor's work L’AM della mia vita, 2014
In conversation with Mauro Nicoletti, Magazzino
What do you predict for the future of art in the sector in which you work? What do you think the greatest challenge will be for you?
Above and beyond the historical moment that we’re living through, it seems clear by now that in our sector, there’s a need for new people and professional skills, but also a broader knowledge and an interdisciplinary approach; paraphrasing José Mourinho: “those who only know about art know nothing about art”.
How did your career in art begin?
I believe that a passion for art, understood as an aesthetic experience, for me as for many others, is a genetic and anthropological inheritance. In short, though it may seem banal (like a cyclist at the finish line) I owe it all to my parents, who were not art experts or intellectuals, but people with great grace and sensitivity.
When and how did you open your gallery?
Going back to what I said earlier, “art is us” and art can make our lives more intense, more real, more acceptable. I believe that this was the profound motivation that, in 1997, drove me to open Magazzino. In my usual fashion, there was no design, no calculation, but something that took shape naturally and supported my sometimes impossible enthusiasm and projects.
Your name isn’t on the gallery: tell us how you chose it.
The name originated with the fact that the physical location of the gallery was a warehouse, and right from the start I want to deal in modern art as well. To make a long story short, it was at Art Basel that they wrote “Magazzino” on the sign for the stand. Just as well, easier and faster.
Tell us about the space you chose for your gallery and the context into which it is set.
The gallery is on Via dei Prefetti, not far from Parliament, in a district (Campo Marzio) that I think still has its same authentic charm. It’s a small node in the urban fabric of the city: we’re inside a courtyard, and before Palazzo Capilupi was built, there was Via della Lupa. Inside the courtyard, restored by Alberto Garutti in 2004, is the fountain, Fontana della Lupa, a small remnant of an ancient daily life.