Victoria Miro is opening her fourth exhibition space—in a “small jewel box of a gallery in the heart of Venice”, according to the London dealer. With three venues in London, the Venice gallery is Miro’s first permanent space abroad.
While not considered an art market hub, Miro describes Venice as an “inspirational setting” for artists to respond to. Miro is not alone: Galerie Alberta Pane from Paris is also due to open in the Italian city next month.
Miro’s first exhibition in Venice, called Poolside Magic, is a group of works on paper by the British artist Chris Ofili that have not been shown together before. The exhibition opens on 10 May (until 1 July) to coincide with the Venice Biennale. Ofili represented Britain at the international exhibition in 2003.
The new gallery will be housed in the former Galleria il Capricorno in a 17th-century building in the San Marco neighbourhood. The Italian dealer Bruna Aickelin first opened il Capricorno in 1971 and has since worked with a number of pioneering female patrons and gallerists including Peggy Guggenheim, Ileana Sonnabend, Paula Cooper and Sadie Coles.
Add to that list Victoria Miro, with whom Aickelin has collaborated on solo shows by artists including Hernan Bas, Verne Dawson, Chantal Joffe and Grayson Perry.
Of her relationships with the women she has befriended and worked with over the past five decades, Aickelin says: “Our lives are forever woven together, and I feel privileged to hand over the baton of my gallery to Victoria.”
