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| Simona Marchesini | |
|---|---|
| Name | Simona Marchesini |
| Birth date | 1970s |
| Birth place | Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Curator; Art dealer; Gallerist; Writer |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Known for | Contemporary art curation, gallery direction, exhibition design |
Simona Marchesini Simona Marchesini is an Italian curator, gallerist, and cultural operator noted for her work in contemporary art, exhibition design, and international programming. Her practice bridges museum institutions, private galleries, and biennials across Europe and the Americas, bringing together artists, collectors, and cultural institutions in collaborative projects. Marchesini's activities intersect with major figures and organizations in the contemporary art world, fostering dialogues between established museums, artist-run spaces, and global art fairs.
Born in Rome in the 1970s, Marchesini received formative exposure to Italian cultural institutions and artistic communities through proximity to the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, the MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts, and the Vatican Museums. She pursued higher education in art history and cultural studies, engaging with curricula influenced by scholarship from the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, and international programs associated with the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and the Columbia University School of the Arts. During her studies she undertook internships and collaborations with curators connected to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Fondazione Prada, and the Tate Modern, which shaped her approach to curatorial practice and exhibition logistics.
Marchesini began her professional trajectory in the late 1990s and early 2000s, working with private galleries and public institutions such as the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, and regional cultural centers in Lazio and Tuscany. She later assumed roles coordinating programming for international art fairs including Art Basel, Frieze Art Fair, and TEFAF, liaising with institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on artist loans and institutional exchanges. Her curatorial methodology emphasizes collaboration with artists and partnerships with organizations such as the Biennale di Venezia, the São Paulo Biennial, and the Documenta network, integrating site-responsive commissions and thematic surveys.
As a gallerist and director she established exhibition platforms that collaborated with figures connected to the Royal Academy of Arts, the National Gallery, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, while cultivating relationships with collectors from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Fondazione Emilio e Annabianca Vedova, and private collections tied to the Collezione Maramotti. Marchesini's program often commissioned works by artists represented in museums like the Centre Pompidou, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and she has worked with critics and theorists affiliated with journals such as Artforum, Frieze, and Flash Art.
Marchesini maintains a professional network spanning Rome, Milan, London, New York, and São Paulo, engaging with cultural institutions including the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, the British Council, and the Italian Cultural Institute of New York. Her collaborations extend to curators and advisors linked to the Harvard Art Museums, the Yale Center for British Art, and the Courtauld Gallery. In private life she is known to participate in philanthropic initiatives associated with foundations like the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, and the Getty Foundation, supporting residency programs and scholarships for emerging curators and artists.
Marchesini has curated and produced exhibitions in partnership with major venues and projects, including exhibitions that engaged artists featured by the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern, the Guggenheim Bilbao, and the Ludwig Museum. Her projects have ranged from monographic presentations to thematic surveys mounted at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, pop-up collaborations during Art Basel Miami Beach, and site-specific commissions for the Venice Biennale collateral program. She has organised exhibitions with participation from artists associated with galleries such as Gagosian Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, White Cube, and Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, and has facilitated international loans from collections like the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Nationalmuseum Stockholm.
Her curatorial essays and exhibition catalogs have appeared alongside scholars and critics connected to The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Corriere della Sera, and La Repubblica, and her exhibition programs have engaged scholars from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, the Warburg Institute, and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science for interdisciplinary dialogues.
Marchesini's contributions to contemporary art curation and gallery direction have been recognised by awards and residencies administered by institutions such as the Fondazione Prada, the MaxMARA Art Prize jury networks, and cultural ministries including Italy's Ministero della Cultura stakeholders. She has been invited as a speaker and juror by organizations including the European Cultural Foundation, the Venice Biennale, the British Council, and the American Alliance of Museums, and has received honors from municipal cultural offices in Rome and Milan. Her programs have been cited in institutional reports from the Getty Research Institute, the Arts Council England, and the Italian Cultural Institute for their impact on international exhibition-making.
Category:Italian curators Category:Italian art dealers