One of the main challenges long-established galleries face is building a succession structure that allows the gallery to survive and thrive beyond the founder who first defined its vision. However, in some cases, those founders choose to forgo the gallery legacy in favor of new ventures that prioritize the family legacy. Take veteran Old Master and modern merchant Edmondo di Robilantwho, after a long 22-year run at Robilant + Voena, is starting a new chapter together with his son Michele di Robilantwith which he will develop a new program in Robilant. Just in time for London Gallery Weekend, father and son are launching with Neither Here Nor There, an inaugural show that sets the tone for a globally minded program that includes everything from works by Old Masters to established modern masters and contemporary names.
Speaking to the Observer ahead of the opening, Michele di Robilant admitted that the defining force of Robilant+Voena was its hybrid identity: “That dual specialization was quite rare and that’s the magic of the gallery that I really want to keep.” Under his direction, Robilant + Voena had begun to expand its program to include contemporary voices, such as Pascale Marthine Tayou show during Frize in October. “My vision is to broaden the gallery’s focus and support and protect contemporary artists of my generation – talents who I hope exhibit the same skills and strengths as the historic masters the gallery has spent decades representing,” he added. Edmondo di Robilant brings decades of relationships, wisdom and expertise, while bringing what he hopes will be a fresh perspective. Together, according to Michele, they will be uniquely positioned to identify artists who can stand the test of time.
Michele di Robilant sees the pressure of fixed costs, especially real estate, as the biggest structural challenge facing galleries today. He admires gallerists, especially in London, who have learned to stay lean and focus on a single flagship location—a model he wants Robilant to follow. The gallery’s Dover Street space remains central to its identity, providing a strong London base of operations while keeping the operation flexible: “We’ve been there since 2004 and it’s still one of the hearts of London’s art world.”
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“Neither here nor there“ |
While the gallery will present at the fair as TEFAF AND Frieze Masterswhere Robilant + Voena was a repeat exhibitor, the program’s initial focus will be on building something substantial beyond the trade calendar. “I think what’s going to change is that the money has to certainly go to building a great program in one place before you have anything to expand,” he explained. “That has been my absolute priority: first and foremost, to have a discussion with the people around me, to be inclusive of my local community and to understand that there is still an amazing base in London.”
That said, Robilant is willing to explore flexible, carefully curated opportunities elsewhere in the world. Already participating in NOMAD St. Moritz and in The inaugural edition in Abu Dhabithe gallery will present in the new NOMAD Hamptons this month with a booth focused on modern works by artists like Warhol, Picasso, Pistoletto, Fontana and Lalanne — a mix Robilant believes makes sense for that geography’s collector base.
Di Robilant, who is in his 30s, is well aware of what younger collectors are looking for. He sees the foot traffic, presence and lived experience around exhibitions as essential and believes that this kind of engagement must come from being there in person and building relationships. “I think there is a little get back to making seeing art an experience as much as it’s about the physical work,” he argued. “I think engaging with new and younger collectors definitely requires me to move more into the digital realm, but it also comes from building my connections and bringing them into these new spaces.”
Robilant’s contemporary programming will reflect the tastes and concerns of this globally minded generation, with the aim of building a thoughtful, multicultural and diverse roster over time. Di Robilant’s main criteria in selecting contemporary artists will be their multifaceted practices and early institutional support before major commercial exhibitions. The group’s inaugural show is emblematic of this approach, packed as it is with artists he met at major biennales, including Venice, Taipei and the Jeddah Islamic Art Biennale. “I want every artist to have a practice mature enough to already have curatorial and institutional interest, but still feel young, fresh and exciting,” he said.
Neither Here Nor There brings together artists whose practices operate within a limited field of familiarity, creating images, bodies and landscapes that feel strangely familiar without yielding any fixed point in memory. Their work invites an embrace of ambiguity and uncertainty as part of the current contemporary condition rather than resolving it. The list features artists from diverse geographic and cultural backgrounds, including the well-known Cuban artist Yoan Capoteemerging Hong Kong artists Isaac Chong Wai AND Hung Faisculptor born in Amman Raya Kassisieh (b. 1991) and self-taught Venetian painter Vittorio Marella.
One advantage of working with Old Masters, modern and contemporary art, he says, is that the gallery is not obligated to fill the listed slots; he can wait until he finds artists whose work feels undeniable. “When you see a good artist, it should hit you like a bolt of lightning,” he said. “I want to really wait and see, wait until I find someone incredible before I choose to work with them.” Every artist in the first show has a mature and compelling practice, and that’s the standard he wants to maintain.
Robilant + Voena has traditionally been Western-centric, but di Robilant aims to change that. “I don’t like the idea of limiting myself too much to one country or one continent. I’ll take each artist on a case-by-case basis and focus on their practice.” Nor does he want to rush the process. “We’re going to work with single artists that we want to promote.”
Di Robilant is not afraid that expanding into contemporary art could alienate existing clientele. Instead, he sees it as an opportunity to engage collectors who had previously associated the gallery only with Old Masters. “I think it’s going to be a pretty delicate game to pick the collectors who we think will engage best with each individual exhibit,” he says. “We started adding contemporary artists, and we’ve done it quite successfully in the past. So, I see it as a fun opportunity and a fun challenge, not something I’m afraid of or worried about.”
After “Neither here nor there” and NOMAD Hamptonsthe gallery is planning a major exhibition during Frieze Masters featuring Old Master works and contemporary pieces – the kind of breadth that few galleries are positioned to handle. Indeed, di Robilant was quick to point out that the dialogue between historical and contemporary works should never be forced. If a contemporary artist’s practice lends itself naturally to conversation with a modern or old master, the gallery is well placed to facilitate this. But if an artist has a more experimental practice and needs space to develop independently, he is equally committed to supporting it on its own terms while contextualizing its place within the larger art historical canon.
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