Remembering Giorgio Marconi (1930–2024)

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Giorgio Marconi, a leading figure in Italian contemporary art and iconic Milanese gallerist. The name of Giorgio Marconi is inextricably linked to that of Studio Marconi and Fondazione Marconi which he founded and managed with constant passion and energetic determination.

Born July 18, 1930 in Milan, Giorgio Marconi began his adventure in the world of Modern Art in 1965, giving up on becoming a medical doctor to open his first exhibition space, Studio Marconi in via Tadino 15, in the place where his father, Egisto, ran a framing atelier. It is thanks to Egisto, framer of renowned modern Italian artists of the 1920’s and 1930’s, such as Mario Sironi, Carlo Carrà and Giorgio Morandi that Giorgio had the opportunity to enter in contact with a vast group of talented artists, including Valerio Adami, Enrico Baj, Lucio Del Pezzo, Arnaldo Pomodoro and Emilio Tadini.

The first inaugural exhibition in November 1965 presented the works of four Italian artists: Lucio Del Pezzo, Mario Schifano, Emilio Tadini and Valerio Adami. Distinguished by unprecedented communicative inventiveness, Studio Marconi marked the beginning of a space for experimentation and dialogue between artists. In addition to being an art gallery, Studio Marconi was also a publisher of art books, developing an innovative editorial line that anticipated many of the current art publications in Italy. Artists such as Gianfranco Pardi, Emilio Tadini and Bruno Di Bello actively collaborated in this process, offering their own contribution to the publications and even suggesting the slogan of the gallery: Studio Marconi: "a place where one exhibits, studies, designs and discusses." Not just an “individual enterprise”, but a team product, a point of convergence of stories, proposals and orientations.

Marconi's frequent trips, especially to London, allowed him to form important collaborations, such as the one with the famous art dealer Robert Fraser and with the artists of English Pop Art: Peter Blake, Patrick Caulfield, Richard Hamilton, David Hockney, Eduardo Paolozzi, and Joe Tilson.

Studio Marconi soon became a crucial point of reference in the cultural life of Milan, closer to a museum space than a commercial gallery. It has presented young emerging artists as well as established, both nationally and internationally, including Joseph Beuys, Alberto Burri, Alexander Calder, Gianni Colombo, Willem De Kooning, Sonia Delaunay, Antonio Dias, Lucio Fontana, Man Ray, Giuseppe Maraniello, Joan Miró, Louise Nevelson, Giulio Paolini, Francis Picabia, Mimmo Rotella, Aldo Spoldi, Antoni Tápies, Giuseppe Uncini, Franco Vaccari and William Wiley.

In December 1992 with the last exhibition of the Chinese artist Hsiao Chin, Studio Marconi closed its programming. Immediately after, a new important chapter in the history of Milanese art began with the birth of the Gió Marconi Gallery, founded together by Giorgio with his son Gió Marconi.

In 2004 the Marconi Foundation was established with the aim not only to continue working with artists and their archives but also to promote high-profile exhibitions in Italy and abroad.

In 2018, Giorgio Marconi received the prestigious ANGAMC Award for Lifetime Achievement, awarded by the Italian National Association of Modern and Contemporary Art Galleries.

Today the Marconi Foundation has a vast archive that is constantly updated, thus documenting over fifty years of research in the field of modern and contemporary art, both national and international.

Giorgio Marconi was not only a successful gallery owner, but also a passionate promoter and supporter of the artists he represented throughout his life. His legacy continues to live through the works and influence he exerted and his creativity and vision will forever inspire future generations.