Well-known dealer Massimo de Carlo has revealed plans for a contemporary art foundation in his native Italy. The private organization, to be established in the northern province of Asti, in the Piedmont region, will be the first of its kind in the area. “Through this foundation, we aim to bring the most intriguing voices of the international contemporary art scene to the territory in a remarkable landscape context complemented by an architectonic approach that exudes great respect despite its monumentality,” de Carlo said in a statement.
The new facility, to which only a vague timeline is attached—completion is expected “in the coming years”—is being designed by Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati, while young Italian architects will compete to design the structure’s service buildings. The foundation will exhibit work by international contemporary artists and will feature dedicated residences for artists.
In an email to Artnet News, de Carlo cast the foundation as a longtime dream of his. “It is a very exciting—dare I say humbling—challenge for me to expand my activities from the commercial work that I undertake with the gallery to the realm of public non for profit activities,” he continued.
Maurizio Rasero, the mayor of Asti, lauded the project in a statement, saying it would “enrich [the province’s] cultural heritage,” and promising to throw the region’s support behind the effort. “Asti and its province deserve an international platform, and initiatives like these are decisive steps in the right direction,” he asserted.
De Carlo inaugurated his first gallery in Milan in 1987, focusing on emerging artists who lacked representation in Italy, and helping to launch the careers of Carsten Höller, Olivier Mosset, and Steven Parrino, among others. The gallery currently operates additional outposts in London, Hong Kong, and Paris, and boasts a roster of more than sixty artists, including Maurizio Cattelan, Danh Võ, and Jamian Juliano-Villani, who herself is a cofounder of much-talked-about New York gallery O’Flaherty’s.
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