Francesca Piccolboni
The Association Matignon’s initiative is based on a wonderful collective energy
“It is not just about attracting a wider audience, but creating real synergy between galleries”
In the run-up to Art Week, we meet director of the Tornabuoni Gallery Francesca Piccolboni, at the gallery’s Parisian space. Located at 16 Avenue Matignon since 2009, the Florence-based gallery has established itself as a key player in the capital’s art scene and is an active member of the Association Matignon Saint-Honoré (MaSH). Alongside the 37 galleries that make up this diverse organisation, Tornabuoni participates in the collective dynamic that drives the neighbourhood’s contemporary art scene, especially by taking part in the group exhibition organised by the association on October 20th. During our conversation, Francesca Piccolboni told us more about the importance of unifying initiatives such as MaSH, as well as her career path, Tornabuoni’s vision and Paris’s place in the art world.
The Tornabuoni Gallery is about to celebrate its 45th anniversary: tell us about its fascinating history.
FRANCESCA PICCOLBONI:
The Tornabuoni Gallery was founded in Florence in 1981 by Roberto Casamonti, a keen enthusiast of modern and contemporary art, and quickly established itself as a leading player on the Italian art scene. Specialising in 20th-century Italian avant-garde art, from Fontana to Burri, Castellani, Boetti and Manzoni, the gallery is committed to promoting and showcasing the artistic landscape of this period. In the 2000s, Tornabuoni began its international expansion with the opening of spaces in Milan, Forte dei Marmi, Crans-Montana, Paris, London and, more recently, Rome. Today, the gallery is renowned for the museum-quality of its exhibitions, the thoroughness in studying Italian art, and its unrivalled expertise in the field.
How did you come to take on this role?
FRANCESCA PICCOLBONI:
I have always thought about pursuing a career in the cultural field. Originally from Verona, my passion for opera brought me to the Arena Foundation at a very young age, where I assisted the artistic director. After studying arts management in Venice and Paris, I joined the fundraising department of the Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice, but it was in 2008, thanks to an experience in the marketing and communications department at the Venice Biennale, that my career shifted towards the visual arts. I arrived in Paris in 2009 and joined the Tornabuoni Gallery when it opened, before taking over as director in 2013. Running the gallery in Paris means carrying on this tradition of high curatorial standards and cultural openness, giving the great Italian artists a voice on the international stage.
As a member of the Association Matignon Saint-Honoré, what are your expectations for this new type of event?
FRANCESCA PICCOLBONI:
The Association Matignon’s initiative is based on a wonderful collective energy. It is not just about teaming up to attract a wider audience, but above all about creating real synergy between galleries with a programme based around a highly anticipated event: a collective exhibition opening on October 20th! This type of event brings together art lovers around a diverse programme featuring ancient, modern and contemporary art, as well as design. It also strengthens the cultural influence of the 8th arrondissement, now an unmissable destination on the Parisian scene.
The exhibition ‘Au-Delà’ by Giorgio Morandi and Lucio Fontana will open its doors at your venue on October 20th. Can you tell us about these two great Italian artists who lived through the 20th century?
FRANCESCA PICCOLBONI:
Morandi and Fontana are two leading figures of 20th-century Italian art. The title of the exhibition refers to their shared quest for what lies beyond the visible. With his infinitely meditative still lifes, Morandi explored subtle variations in light and form in a poetic and spiritual quest for reality. Fontana, for his part, transcended the traditional limits of the canvas with his famous Attese (slits) and his Concetti spaziali, taking the flat surface of the canvas to another dimension. One artist focused on the intimacy of figurative art, the other turned towards infinity and ultimate abstraction: their encounter creates a dialogue both unexpected and striking.
These two visions, figurative and abstract, have revolutionised the way we understand matter and space. What dialogue do you see between them?
FRANCESCA PICCOLBONI:
It is precisely this tension and complementarity that we wish to highlight. While Morandi works in silence, in a slow, almost suspended temporality, Fontana shatters space, projecting it into a cosmic dimension. But both question the materiality of painting: in Morandi’s work, each object is a pretext for an experiment in perception; in Fontana’s, the canvas ceases to be a surface and becomes a volume. Their dialogue is not one of opposition, but of resonance.
How do you view Paris’ position in the current art market, especially in light of your activities in other major cities?
FRANCESCA PICCOLBONI:
Paris is experiencing a remarkable resurgence. Long considered to be a step behind London or New York, it has now reclaimed its central role thanks to the wealth of its institutions, the dynamism of its galleries and the arrival of major events such as Art Basel Paris. Culturally speaking, Paris has an inexhaustible offering: no other city can truly compete.
In recent years, and even more so since Brexit, Paris has continued to strengthen its leading position in the art market: several renowned international galleries have recently chosen the French capital as the location for their European headquarters. Paris can indeed draw on an artistic ecosystem that is unrivalled in Europe, with its iconic museums such as the Louvre, the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, and its private foundations such as the Fondation Louis Vuitton and the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection.
The quality of institutions and exhibitions in France, particularly in Paris, are second to none, fuelled by exceptional national collections and powerful private foundations. I firmly believe that Paris is the new capital of the European art market, and that its influence will continue to grow. Our presence here is therefore strategic, but also emotionally significant, as Paris has always been a crossroads between Italian art and the rest of the world.
What are your expectations for this edition of Art Basel Paris?
FRANCESCA PICCOLBONI:
We expect a strong, top-quality edition that lives up to the high standards of the Parisian scene. This year, we hope to see even more international visitors than last year, with collectors from the United States and Asia, who were less present in Basel this year, no doubt due to the Paris edition of the fair.
Among the members of the Association Matignon Saint-Honoré, which other galleries would you recommend visiting?
FRANCESCA PICCOLBONI:
It would be difficult to name just a few, as the diversity of the exhibition is so impressive. Each gallery has its own unique voice, and together we form a dynamic scene. I am particularly delighted by the recent arrival of galleries such as those of Félix Marcilhac and Oscar Graf, who have just joined the association and further contributed to the project!
Interview by Say Who
Portraits: Jean Picon
