Cardi Gallery

Founded in 1972 by passionate art collector Renato Cardi, Cardi Gallery has been a leading force in promoting contemporary Italian art for over five decades. With locations in Milan and London, the gallery continues to spread its cultural influence internationally through powerful exhibitions, museum loans, and art advisory services.

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The Early Years

In the late 1960s, Renato Cardi began presciently collecting works by emerging Italian artists such as Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, and Cy Twombly, who would go on to become internationally renowned figures[2]. This early support helped foster the careers of many important Italian artists.

Officially opening Cardi Gallery in Milan in 1972, Renato created a space to showcase these visionary Italian artists. The gallery quickly became known for presenting museum-quality exhibitions accompanied by scholarly monographs and catalogues, establishing itself as an important cultural institution[2].

Expanding to London

In 2015, under the leadership of Renato’s son Nicolo, Cardi Gallery opened a new space in the heart of London’s Mayfair district, a focal point of the European art scene. Occupying a six-story Georgian townhouse, the London gallery allowed Cardi to reach a wider international audience and assert its presence in a global art capital[2].

The expansion demonstrated the gallery’s ambition and cemented its reputation as a powerhouse in the field of modern and contemporary Italian art. Today, Cardi Gallery continues to operate across its two locations in Milan and London.

Roster of Artists

Over its 50 year history, Cardi Gallery has cultivated an impressive roster of Italian artists, many of whom it began working with early in their careers. Some of the most notable names include:

Lucio Fontana – The founder of Spatialism, Fontana is known for his slashed and punctured monochrome canvases. Cardi Gallery began collecting his work in the late 1960s[2].
Piero Manzoni – A key figure of the Arte Povera movement, Manzoni is famous for works like his canned “Artist’s Shit”. His work has long been supported by Cardi Gallery[2].
Michelangelo Pistoletto – Celebrated Arte Povera painter, performance artist and theorist. Cardi represents Pistoletto along with other members of the movement[2].
Enrico Castellani – An Italian painter known for his disorienting monochrome canvases. Cardi Gallery represents Castellani and other artists of the influential Zero group[2].
Giulio Paolini – An Italian conceptual artist known for his series of defaced prints, which Cardi Gallery has exhibited[7].
Alighiero Boetti – A key Arte Povera conceptual artist with a long history at Cardi Gallery[2].
Marisa Merz – The sole female member of Arte Povera, Merz’s work is part of Cardi’s extensive collection from the movement[2].

In addition to these major Italian figures, Cardi also represents international avant-garde artists like the German Zero group co-founder Heinz Mack and Günther Uecker[2][7], as well as pioneering American minimalists like Carl Andre, Sol LeWitt, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd and Richard Serra[2][8].

The gallery’s program evidences its unrivaled expertise and specialization in Italian modern, post-war and contemporary art. However, by contextualizing these artists alongside their international peers, Cardi provides important art historical links between movements like Arte Povera, Minimalism and Zero.

Exhibitions and Projects

Cardi Gallery is renowned for its ambitious, museum-quality exhibitions that shed new light on the evolution of 20th century art. Recent shows have focused on modern masters as well as lesser-known aspects of prominent artists’ careers.

In 2019, Cardi Milan staged “TRIBUTE to MONO-HA”, exploring the influential post-war Japanese movement through works by major proponents like Lee Ufan, Kishio Suga, Nobuo Sekine, Katsuro Yoshida, Koji Enokura, and Noriyuki Haraguchi[9]. Exhibitions like this demonstrate the gallery’s art historical rigor and its mission to educate audiences about important global art movements.

Other notable recent exhibitions include presentations of work by singular figures like minimalist master Dan Flavin[9][17], Arte Povera pioneer Jannis Kounellis[5], and Gutai artist Shozo Shimamoto[8]. By staging focused solo exhibitions, Cardi allows visitors to fully immerse themselves in an artist’s unique visual language and examine the nuances of their practice.

The gallery also organizes shows that reveal new facets of an artist’s oeuvre. In 2020, “MIMMO ROTELLA. BEYOND DÉCOLLAGE: PHOTO EMULSIONS AND ARTYPOS, 1963-1980” shed light on the Italian artist’s less-known practice of making photo emulsions and Artypos after he became famous for his décollages in the 1950s[8]. Exhibitions like this evidence Cardi’s deep art historical knowledge and its access to significant and rare bodies of work.

In addition to its exhibitions, Cardi Gallery is an active participant in major international art fairs like Art Basel, Frieze Masters, FIAC and TEFAF[2][9]. This allows the gallery to engage with global collectors and present its program to audiences around the world. Cardi also regularly loans works to important museum exhibitions, furthering its mission of promoting Italian art on an international stage.

New Generations

While best known for its representation of key 20th century figures, Cardi Gallery also champions a new generation of contemporary Italian artists. The gallery’s youngest artist is conceptual artist and filmmaker Francesco Vezzoli, whose work examines pop culture through imaginary film and TV productions[2].

Other emerging talents on Cardi’s roster include Davide Balliano, who is known for his austere abstract paintings and sculptures that explore existential themes[4][14]. By juxtaposing young artists with historical masters, Cardi aims to draw connections across generations and examine how contemporary practitioners are extending the legacy of 20th century Italian art.

Scholarship and Patronage

Since its founding, Cardi Gallery has been dedicated to advancing art historical scholarship on 20th century Italian art. The gallery publishes extensive exhibition catalogues with essays by renowned critics, providing essential resources for academics and researchers.

Cardi also regularly supports artists beyond the commercial realm through patronage. For decades, Renato Cardi passionately collected works by artists like Fontana and Manzoni before the market recognized their genius[2]. This early patronage was critical in allowing a new generation of radical Italian artists to flourish.

Today, the gallery continues this legacy of patronage by supporting its artists through acquisitions and facilitating museum placements. By placing works in major public collections, Cardi helps cement the art historical importance of its artists and ensure that their work will be preserved and studied for generations.

A Vital Force

Over its five decades in operation, Cardi Gallery has remained a vital force in the Italian art world. Through its highly-respected exhibitions, global art fair presence, scholarly publications and tireless support of its artists, the gallery has played an essential role in shaping the narrative around modern and contemporary Italian art.

As Cardi Gallery looks towards the future, it remains committed to its core mission of promoting Italian artists while also nurturing a new generation of visionary thinkers. By embracing its prestigious legacy while keeping an eye towards the future, Cardi is poised to continue breaking new ground and expanding the boundaries of Italian art in the 21st century.

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