galleries

Being represented by a gallery outside one’s own country is a fundamental achievement for an artist: it is important for the recognition of their work, for the market, but also and above all for promotion to international institutions. To understand how much artists born after 1960 are supported by foreign galleries, we analyzed the rosters of the main galleries abroad, focusing on those present at the most important international art fairs. Out of 831 galleries analyzed, 135 foreign ones represent a total of 137 Italian artists born after 1960—that is, 16.2% of the total galleries represent at least one contemporary Italian artist. On the other hand, historicized Italian artists, such as Fontana, Burri, Morandi, Boetti, etc., are very well represented in galleries all over the world, but this data, due to the chronological limits we have set, does not fall within our analysis.

News

Since the drafting of the first report in March 2022 and the launch of the web platform in June 2025, there have been some updates, including the entry of Enrico David into the roster of White Cube, one of the most powerful galleries in the world, in February 2025. The artist, who already boasts numerous achievements including participation in the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, is also represented by Michael Werner. Another update concerns Chiara Camoni, who at Miart 2025 was presented at the booth of Andrew Kreps from New York (she already worked with SpazioA and Arcade in London). The young Emilio Gola joined, also in 2025, the roster of Madragoa in Lisbon, founded by the Italian Matteo Consonni. Marinella Senatore, who is already among the names with the most international visibility, joined the artists of Michael Rein.

The galleries with the most Italian artists

The galleries that invest the most in contemporary Italian artists—in our map—are usually those opened by Italians abroad or with a strong relationship with Italy and Italian artists. For example, the London-based Greengrassi, founded by the Italo-American Cornelia Grassi in 1997, includes in its portfolio Alessandro Pessoli, Catherine Biocca, Giuseppe Gabellone, Margherita Manzelli, and Stefano Arienti.

There are five contemporary Italian artists exhibited by Larry Gagosian or represented by his powerful gallery: Piero Golia, Tatiana Trouvé, Francesco Vezzoli, Maurizio Cattelan, and Alberto Di Fabio (and Rudolf Stingel, born in 1956), in addition to, of course, the historicized artists Boetti, Castellani, Clemente, Fontana. Four contemporary artists are represented by the Brussels-based gallery Dauwens & Beernaert (Daniele Coppola, Giulia Dall’Olio, Raffaella Crispino, and Werther Gasperini), and as many by the Swiss Galerie Carzaniga (Alberto Zamboni, Andrea Gotti, Luca Caccioni, and Luca Serra), by Kromya Art Gallery with locations in Lugano and Verona (Carlo Bernardini, Emanuele Fiorelli, Marco Casentini, and Pierpaolo Curti), and by Galerie Greta Meert in Brussels (Grazia Toderi, Liliana Moro, Mario Airò, and Eva Marisaldi). These are the galleries in our sample with the most Italian artists; the other approximately 130, identified in the study, represent one or at most two Italians born after 1960.

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Most Internationally Present Artists

The analysis shows that among the Italians most present in the roster of foreign galleries are Maurizio Cattelan, with five galleries (Marian Goodman Gallery and Perrotin represent him, while Carolina Nitsch, Gagosian, and Vedovi Gallery handle his works), and Monica Bonvicini (represented by Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Galerie Krinzinger, König Galerie, and more recently Galerie Gisela Capitain in Cologne and Capitain Petzel in Berlin; her works are also handled by Gerhardsen Gerner and Mitchell-Innes & Nash).

Four galleries represent Marinella Senatore (Michel Rein is the latest addition, alongside Mazzoleni, ADN Galeria, and Pedro Cera), Alessandro Pessoli (Greengrassi, Xavier Hufkens, Anton Kern Gallery, Nino Mier Gallery), Andrea Galvani (Revolver Galeria, Curro, The Ryder, Fabienne Levy), Arcangelo Sassolino (Repetto Gallery, Galerie Rolando Anselmi, Philipp Von Rosen, Pietro Atchugarry Gallery), and Luca Vitone (Galerie Nagel Draxler, Michel Rein, Galerie Rolando Anselmi, La galerie imaginaire).

Three international galleries represent Alessandro Teoldi (Suprainfinit, Capsule Shanghai, Marinaro), Alfredo Aceto (Andersen’s, Parliament, Lange + Pult), Giuseppe Gabellone (Art: Concept, Greengrassi, Galerie Martin Janda), and Tatiana Trouvé (Gagosian, König Galerie, and Perrotin). Also well represented are Roberto Cuoghi (Galerie Chantal Crousel, Hauser & Wirth) and Chiara Fumai (Tajana Pieters, Rosa Santos).

Besides Gagosian, one of the most powerful galleries hosting Italian artists is Perrotin, with Maurizio Cattelan, Tatiana Trouvé, and Paola Pivi. Meanwhile, the major American gallery Pace does not represent any Italian artist born after 1960 (its roster includes only fashion photographer Paolo Roversi, born in 1947), nor does David Zwirner, which only represents Giorgio Morandi. Within Hauser & Wirth, among those born after 1960, only Roberto Cuoghi is included; among historicized artists, there are estates of Manzoni, Mauri, and Melotti. Barbara Gladstone also works only with historicized Italians (Alighiero Boetti, Mario and Marisa Merz, Salvo). Marian Goodman has only Cattelan among the living artists, and, among the historicized, Arte Povera names like Giovanni Anselmo, Paolini, Penone, and the sculptor Spalletti. Lisson Gallery does not represent Italians born after 1960, only Giulio Paolini (born in 1940); the same goes for Thaddaeus Ropac, who represents only Emilio Vedova (1919–2006). Who knows if things will change with the gallery's arrival in Italy.

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Average Age

The average age of the artists analyzed who are represented by international galleries is 48 years old. Among the countries that most represent them, the average age is distributed as follows:

Belgium: 48 years old. The youngest artist is Daniele Coppola (1990).

Switzerland: 50 years old. The youngest are Daniele Milvio (1988), Alfredo Aceto, and Lorenza Longhi (both 1991).

France: 46 years old. Many artists born after 1980 are represented, including Alfredo Aceto (1991), Andrea Romano (1984), Bianca Biondi (1986), Ernesto Sartori (1982), Lisa Signorini (1989), Simone Zaccagnini (1982), and Tiziana La Melia (1982).

Germany: 46 years old. Those born after 1980 include Davide Stucchi (1988), Giulia Andreani (1985), Guglielmo Castelli (1987), Nicola Martini (1984), Patrizio Di Massimo (1983), Rosa Aiello (1987), and Vincenzo Schillaci (1984).

United Kingdom: 50 years old. The youngest represented artists are Bea Bonafini (1990), Carolina Mazzolari (1981), Caterina Silva (1983), Catherine Biocca (1984), Giacomo Ravagli (1981), and Silvia Giambrone (1981).

United States: 52 years old. A larger presence of older artists is noted here. The youngest include Alessandro Teoldi (1987), Davide Balliano (1983), Giangiacomo Rossetti (1989), and Marco Pariani (1986).

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