Mazzoleni was founded in Turin in 1986 by Giovanni and Anna Pia Mazzoleni, as a natural evolution of their private collection started in the mid-1950s. Since 2014, the historic Turin space has been flanked by the London gallery in Mayfair. Over the past three decades, Mazzoleni has organised solo and group exhibitions of more than 200 prominent Italian and international artists from across the 20th century with an exhibition programme focused on museum-calibre art from the second post-war period and, recently, the contemporary panorama, working in close collaboration with artists’ estates and foundations.
Under the leadership of Davide and Luigi Mazzoleni, the gallery has intensified its international activities, participating in numerous art fairs, including Art Basel (Basel, Miami and Hong Kong), Frieze Masters (London), TEFAF (Maastricht and New York) and FIAC (Paris).
Mazzoleni Turin gallery, first floor. Courtesy Mazzoleni, London-Torino
Exhibitions
City
Exhibition
Date
Torino
Eridanus: The River Constellation, Melissa McGill
From 30.10.2024
“This critical period will make it possible to launch new opportunities for human, cultural and intellectual enrichment that are also favourable to investment in the art world. ”
Luigi, Giovanni and Davide Mazzoleni. Courtesy Mazzoleni London-Torino
In conversation with Davide and Luigi Mazzoleni, Mazzoleni London-Torino
Is there a specifically Italian approach to your work? What characterises the Italian art scene?
We are privileged to be surrounded by this environment, this absolutely unique cultural and artistic heritage. There is definitely an Italian approach in the art world, rooted in a keen artistic sensibility, research and scouting out new trends. We are especially thinking about the intensity of young Italian artists’ reinterpretations of the art of the 1950s and 60s and the new image trends.
What are your predictions for the future of the art world in your field? What is the biggest challenge that you will have to face?
We believe that the art world and market will not change much. Instead, this critical period will make it possible to launch new opportunities for human, cultural and intellectual enrichment that are also favourable to investment in the art world. The biggest challenge will be an economic one, but we are optimistic: new strengths and new aptitudes will rise up.
Mazzoleni, Turin. Courtesy Mazzoleni London-Torino. Photo: Studio Sant’Orsola
When and how did you start your gallery?
The gallery was founded in 1986 by our parents, Giovanni and Anna Pia Mazzoleni, as the natural development of their private collection, begun in the first half of the 1950s. Our father began his collecting activity starting with the great masters of the Italian historical avant-gardes, Futurism and the Metaphysical movement, and then discovered contemporary artists like Alberto Burri and Lucio Fontana.
What kind of art do you deal with?
The gallery’s exhibition programme is a curatorial programme that looks at the twentieth-century painting tradition, with special attention to postwar Italian art. We work closely with artists’ archives and foundations. We have recently begun giving a lot of space and attention to contemporary art as well.
How do you build your relationships with young collectors? And how do you keep the ones with regular clients fresh?
Seriousness, substance and constancy are at the heart of our relationship with young collectors. These are the values that have made it possible for us to keep our relationships with our long-time collectors alive for decades and they are the same values that we adopt for the young ones, perhaps with a little extra attention to going more in depth on a few fronts, so that the collectors can develop their own coherent, structured and long-lasting taste.
