You have a degree in history from Zurich.'German art and literature, you are of Swiss-Italian origins, yet for your first job you moved to Naples…
The city by the sea fascinated me, and after my studies I worked with Lia Rumma in Naples. Her gallery was already very important for its selection and the artists it had been working with since the 1960s. I traveled extensively with her, especially in America, and learned the trade. Before that, while I was studying, I had already worked with Elisabeth Kaufmann in Zurich.
In 1992 you moved to Milan and opened the gallery in your apartment. You were also visionary about the location, becauseé At the time, the Corso Como area was disconnected from the city center, while today, right next to you, there are the new skyscrapers of Piazza Gae Aulenti and the Bosco Verticale…
«My father gave me an apartment in Milan and I immediately transformed it into a gallery'art to start my business. Later, I expanded the spaces, but I always remained at the'interior of this beautiful'A very bright 1930s building overlooking two large green courtyards.'At the beginning it seemed like we were on the outskirts, but now the area has become a new, well-frequented and international centre."
Which was this your first exhibition?
My first exhibition was a solo show by the Swiss painter Martin Disler, an exponent of neo-expressionism (1949–1996). I then introduced young artists who later became international stars, such as the German photographers Thomas Struth with his museums and historical sites, Thomas Demand with his three-dimensional models, and the wood sculptor Stephan Balkenhol. My first clients included visionary collectors such as Panza di Biumo, Paolo Consolandi, and Gemma Testa.
Looking at your carefully curated selection, you include artists of diverse nationalities and opposing generations, offering a dialogue between past and future. I gather your intent is to encourage visitors to reconsider traditional notions of painting and representation...
I enjoy working with artists from different generations whose work shows us the world in a new way, amplifying our perception. I love painting, sculpture, and photography, which express themselves with a certain essentiality between figuration and abstraction.
In my research a poetic dimension prevails, understood as attention to sensitivity, to'atmosphere and the evocative and innovative power of images. This can be found, for example, in the latest exhibitions by Claudia Losi (until March 21) and Slawomir Elsner (which ended on February 28, both in Milan).
Alex Katz, a big name and an important artist in your stable, when did you give him his first exhibition?
«His first exhibition l'I did it in Milan in 1997, when the'American artist was little known in Europe. In the following years the SaatchiGallery London and several European museums dedicated personal exhibitions to him and his fame grew exponentially."
But how did he enter your stable?
«When I was still studying in Zurich, I saw one of his paintings in the magazine'Parkett (1984-2017) and I was literally struck by his work. I began reading everything about him. Almost ten years later, after opening his gallery in Milan, I decided to look for him in New York; I managed to visit him in Soho with his American gallerist. We immediately hit it off, but Alex Katz was already famous in the US, and I was a young, unknown gallerist at the time. Nonetheless, after a diligent courtship, I managed to get his first exhibition: he came to Milan with Ada, his wife and lifelong muse. Since then, we have never stopped collaborating. A magical moment was his major retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum of New York in 2022-2023."
Zuoz is not a place "“obvious” for the'Contemporary art. You opened your second gallery here in 2006 (Chesa Albertini, a typical 14th-century Engadine house in the historic center). You came from Milan, where you already had a well-established space. It's not a white cube, and the works adapt to the space in a perceptual and historical dialogue. What brought you here?
«I have always had a deep bond with the'Engadine, where I spent holidays with my parents as a child and where I later attended high school. I love the old Engadine houses, so at a certain point I combined this passion with my love for'contemporary art. I purchased an ancient house in the heart of Zuoz, which is the oldest country in the'Engadine, the'I renovated with the'help of the'architect Hans-Jörg Ruch, who came up with a new way to revive old houses. Over time, I met many other enthusiasts.'art and collectors in Engadine, which has always been a destination for artists and writers, I think of Proust, Nietzsche, Segantini, Giacometti and many others in recent years."
Does the Engadine landscape influence your international curatorial perspective and your relationship with your artists? Let me explain: do your artists engage more with the modern tradition (Marisa Merz, Fausto Melotti, Gianni Colombo) or do you have other priorities in your choices?
«For me the priority, in addition to the poetics of'work, is being able to have an open and continuous dialogue with the artists. Keep in mind that I frequented Marisa Merz (1926—2019) intensely and organized a solo exhibition of hers in 2012, when she was still alive and therefore she was able to come to Zuoz for the'inauguration. Being the'only female artist of the'Arte Povera received international recognition later than the others, therefore only in those years: in 2013 he received the lifetime achievement award from the Venice Biennale and later had exhibitions at the Metropolitan in New York and all'Hammer museum from Los Angeles. In Zuoz, among other things, I chose to present important Italian artists who are little known in Switzerland, such as Gianni Colombo, Fausto Melotti and for the'precisely Marisa Merz, but also important Swiss artists such as Franz Gertsch, Markus Raetz (in 2016 the Masi dedicated a monographic exhibition to him), Uwe Wittwer and recently Thomas Huber».
Zuoz or Milan, which exhibition remained in your heart and for what reasons?
«It's hard to say, because I love all my artists and their works. In addition to Alex Katz's painting, always balanced between figuration and abstraction, I love Markus Raetz's conceptual poetry,'kinetic art of Gianni Colombo, the sublime poetics of Gianni Melotti, the'Korean artist living in Italy Chung Eun-Mo and her abstract painting reminiscent of Renaissance colors and compositions, l'Italian artist Linda Fregni Nagler, who reflects on the history and language of photography (she currently has a solo exhibition at the GAM in Turin). I have always organized solo and group exhibitions, curating them personally.
Today you have three galleries, two of which are Swiss, and an international roster. I think your idea of holding Milan in Porta Nuova was visionary. Was it a coincidence?
"I have a deep emotional bond with the city, and Milan has become increasingly vibrant in recent years, increasingly rich in beautiful exhibitions and cultural events. And I love my gallery, not just because it's the first."
What do you think about NOMAD, do you think it is a'an opportunity for your collectors to compare notes or a mere commercial lure?
«I consider NOMAD an innovative fair, which manages to combine art and Design; the locations are very suggestive and always different. I'm also participating this one'year. It will take place at Villa Beaulieu (formerly the Dr. Gut clinic) in Via Arona, in the heart of St. Moritz from February 12th to 15th.
Who are your collectors, private individuals, institutions, locals or more international?
"My clientele is international, but also local: Swiss, Italian, and German. Then there are the occasional visitors. My gallery is open to everyone."
Which Swiss artists do you think are in tune with the Engadine region?
«I don't make specific choices with mountain or local subjects, I present all my artists in different galleries. Their art is always fundamental,'Innovation and experimentation, and the best way to present them. Currently in Zuoz, there is an exhibition by Thomas Huber (until April 5), who was a student of David Hockney.'Swiss artist lives between Berlin and'Italy; his wonderful oil paintings depict vast landscapes in various places and light conditions with a concise and personal style, but this is one of the rare occasions in Zuoz where I've exhibited paintings of mountains and lakes. The MASI in Lugano dedicated a major solo exhibition to him in 2022.
Your space in Zuoz is a counter-place to the metropolises of'art: do your performances respect the slowness and silence that characterize the country?
«Zuoz is a place that invites contemplation: here everything flows slowly, in a'A cozy atmosphere that respects the rhythms of its residents and guests. A refuge for those who leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind in search of peace in nature and time to dedicate to relaxation.'art".
Is your curatorship conditioned differently than in Lugano or Milan?
«Let's say that the curatorship is influenced by the spaces of my galleries, which are very different from each other. I love spaces characterized by their history, in which the'contemporary art can dialogue with the'architecture and'art of the past."
