Thaddaeus Ropac’s forthcoming expansion to Milan marks a significant milestone in the ongoing transformation of the city into a contemporary art powerhouse. The gallery, set to open within the refined neoclassical Palazzo Belgioioso, will offer 280 square meters of exhibition space complemented by an outdoor area for sculptures and installations. This new venture aligns seamlessly with Ropac’s international presence in London, Paris, Salzburg, and Seoul, underscoring Milan’s increasing importance as a cultural and commercial hub for modern and contemporary art.
“Milan is a cultural hub in Europe and plays a central role in the history and development of modern and contemporary art,” Ropac stated, emphasizing the gallery’s strategic objective to deepen its relationships with Italian collectors and institutions. This move reflects not only a commitment to the Italian art scene but also the recognition of Milan’s unique position within the global art market.
Elena Bonanno di Linguaglossa, the newly appointed executive director and former senior director at Lévy Gorvy Dayan, will lead the Milan gallery. She highlights the city’s longstanding appeal, fueled by the wealth and cultural investment of Italy’s industrial dynasties. “Italy’s wealth, its hard-working, big industrial families, and their [art] collections have been the engine of Milan for a long time,” she noted.
The timing of this expansion coincides with broader trends positioning Milan as a magnet for affluent art collectors. For nearly three decades, the annual Miart fair has attracted global attention, and recent tax incentives have solidified the city’s allure. While Italy doubled its flat tax on overseas income to €200,000 in 2022, it still offers one of Europe’s lowest inheritance tax rates—just 4 to 8 percent, compared to the UK’s 40 percent for estates over £325,000. Furthermore, the government’s ongoing discussions to reduce VAT on art imports from 10 to 5.5 percent would add another layer of appeal.
Ropac’s entry into Milan mirrors a broader trend of international galleries eyeing the city as a fertile ground for expansion. Italian dealer Massimo De Carlo laid the groundwork in 1987, with a pioneering exhibition by Olivier Mosset and a keen eye for Italian talents like Maurizio Cattelan, whose careers he helped catapult to international acclaim. More recently, galleries such as Lehmann Maupin and Ben Brown Fine Arts have tested Milan’s waters, with pop-ups and permanent spaces hinting at the city’s rising stature in the art world.
While Milan’s narrow streets may evoke a sense of the past, its cultural and economic vibrancy positions it firmly in the future. For Ropac and his artists, this new chapter in Milan represents not just an expansion but an opportunity to embed themselves in the evolving narrative of a city on the cusp of becoming a global art capital.
