Palazzo of Pop Art: new gallery in Italy will house major collection of 20th-century art

"The personal collection of Ileana Sonnabend, a groundbreaking art dealer who championed generations of rising artists in the US and Europe from the late 1950s until her death in 2007 at age 92, now has a dedicated, long-term home in Mantua, Italy. On 29 November, Sonnabend Collection Mantova (Mantua) opens to the public in the renovated Palazzo della Ragione, a prominent 13th-century building in the city centre that has previously served as a town hall, a market, a courthouse and an event space."

"The new art museum is a partnership between the Sonnabend Collection Foundation, the municipality of Mantua and Marsilio Arte, which will handle management of the space alongside the city. Nearly 100 works by artists whom Sonnabend showed and collected early in their careers-including Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mario Merz, Gilbert & George, Donald Judd, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Anselm Kiefer and Jeff Koons-will be exhibited in 11 contemporary galleries designed by Federico Fedel within the palazzo's grand hall."

"He started working in the dealer's original Paris gallery in 1968 and was adopted by Sonnabend and her second husband, Michael, in the late 1980s. After the dealer's death, Homem, together with the late Nina Sundell, Ileana's daughter with her first husband, Leo Castelli, and Ileana's granddaughter Margaret Sundell, selected a core group of works "that we felt maintained the narrative of the collection", Homem says."

Ileana Sonnabend's private collection has a permanent home in Mantua's renovated 13th-century Palazzo della Ragione, opening 29 November as Sonnabend Collection Mantova. The museum is a partnership among the Sonnabend Collection Foundation, the municipality of Mantua and Marsilio Arte, which will co-manage the space. Nearly 100 works by artists Sonnabend supported early in their careers will be displayed across 11 contemporary galleries designed by Federico Fedel within the palazzo's grand hall. The venue includes a temporary exhibition gallery screening Warhol films for its inaugural show, plus a bookshop and educational department. Antonio Homem and family members selected a core group of works that preserve the collection's narrative.

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