Elena Pontiggia (Milan, 1955) graduated in Philosophy. She is a professor of contemporary art history at Brera Academy and at Milan Polytechnic. She regularly contributes to the daily paper “La Stampa” and many magazines (“Arte”, “Antiquariato”, “Luoghi dell’infinito”).
1987-1993 Member of the Scientific Committee of Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Milan
2000- 2013 Member of the Stelline Foundation’s Scientific Committee, Milan
2002-2008 Member of Quadrenniale’s Management Board, Rome
2011-2016 Member of Hangar-Bicocca’s Management Board, Milan
In 1996 she won S. Valentino d’Oro Prize. In 2009 her essay Modernità e classicità. Il Ritorno all’ordine in Europa won Carducci Prize.
Recent books: Edward Hopper (Milan, 2002); 1935. The Great Quadrenniale (Milan, 2006); Modernità e classicità. Il Ritorno all’ordine in Europa (Milan, 2008); Mario Sironi. La grandezza dell’arte, le tragedie della storia (Milan, 2015); Christian Schad (Milan, 2016); Arturo Martini. La vita in figure
Born in Rome, where she lives and works.
Graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature at the University Alma Mater Studiorum in Bologna and at Specialization School in Artistic Historical Heritage – address Contemporary Art History – Department of Visual Arts at the University of Bologna.
From 2002 to 2006, head of the Press Department of GAM, Modern Art Gallery of Bologna and, simultaneously, worked as Assistant Curator for the organization of various exhibitions in Italy and Germany.
As a journalist, publishes articles and columns on magazines (The Art Newspaper – Rome) and national newspapers (QN- Il Resto del Carlino, La Nazione, Il Giorno).
From 2006 to 2009, Director of organization of documentaries festivals on art and architecture in Rome and Milan, taking care of various exhibitions in Italy, Europe and Canada in addition to the production of documentaries in South America.
In 2009 and in 2011 co-ordinates the organization of some exhibitions for the Ursula Blickle Stiftung in Kraichtal and in 2010 began working with the Marie-Laure Fleisch Gallery in Rome.
In 2014 and 2015 coordinates the production of a documentary on the construction of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens (National Library of Greece and Greek National Opera), designed by Arch. Renzo Piano.
From 2017 to 2021 has curated the Archive of the artist Marco Tirelli in Rome at the Pastificio Cerere.
In 2014 deals with External Relations for the VAF Foundation and is responsible for the organization and coordination of the exhibitions of the VAF Foundation Award in Italy and Germany.
Daniela Ferrari is an art historian who is currently curator at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto. Her main research interests include the art theory and art history of the XX and XXI Century, in particular Futurism, Novecento Italiano and Visual Poetry. Selected exhibitions include Beyond the Canvas Border. Fontana Burri Manzoni Dadamaino Bonalumi Scheggi (2015), Fontana/Melotti: Angelic Spaces and Infinite Geometries (2016), More Than Words… (2018), Margherita Sarfatti. Novecento Italiano in the World (2018-2019), Leonardo Cremonini e Karl Plattner. I pittori della solitudine (2021, Mart, Rovereto). She published ANS Archive of New Writing of Paolo Della Grazia: History of a Collection (2012), The Frame. Stories, Theories, Texts with Andrea Pinotti (2018), and the general catalogue for the VAF-Stiftung collection (2012 e 2020).
Born in Como in 1981, she lives and works in Milan.
After graduating with honours in Linguistic Mediation from Milan’s Civica Scuola Interpreti e Traduttori – languages: English, French, Spanish – (2003), and in Interpreting and Communication from IULM University (2006), she has worked as an art consultant with Studio d’Arte Nicoletta Colombo, Milan and as a freelance art consultant and researcher since 2006.
She works as an assistant exhibition curator, contributes to art publications, and conducts research for collections, focusing on late nineteenth- and twentieth-century paintings and on national and international Art Informel.
She contributes to keeping the archives of the painters Achille Funi, Piero Marussig, Pompeo Borra, Raffeale de Grada and Guy Harloff constantly updated.
She has served as a co-curator of the Guy Harloff’s Archives, Milan since 2016.
She has been a member of the Achille Funi Archives, Milan since 2017.
In 2010 she contributed to Nicoletta Colombo’s book Raffaele de Grada, Giorgio Mondadori Editore, Milan.
In 2012 she wrote an essay about the Salon des peintres divisionnistes italiens, Paris, 1907, for the exhibition catalogue Il Divisionismo. La luce del moderno, Rovigo, Palazzo Roverella, edited by Francesca Cagianelli and Dario Matteoni.
From 2013 to 2016 she contributed to and oversaw work on the catalogue raisonné Pompeo Borra. Catalogo ragionato. Oli e tempere 1914-1959, Umberto Allemandi, Torino 2016.
She worked with Turin’s Museo di Arti Decorative Accorsi-Ometto for the exhibition catalogue Divisionismo tra Torino e Milano. Da Segantini a Balla (2015-2016), and for the catalogue Dal Futurismo al Ritorno all’ordine. Pittura italiana del decennio cruciale 1910-1920 (2017).
In 2016 she co-authored the book Guy Harloff (1933-1991). L’olandese volante, Grafiche Antiga, Crocetta del Montello.
At the “Centro Culturale di Milano” she co-curated the exhibition ACHILLE FUNI (1890-1972)e gli amici pittori di “Novecento”. Opere storiche, ritrovamenti e inediti (2018). In the accompanying catalogue, she examined the topic of Italian artists in Lybia from 1934 to 1940 in the essay Pittori, scultori e decoratori italiani in Libia durante il governatorato di Italo Balbo (1934-1940). She had already written about this topic in a short essay – Artisti italiani in Libia nei secondi anni trenta – , published in the catalogue Novecento. Arte e vita in Italia tra le due guerre, Silvana Editoriale, Cinisello Balsamo 2013, edited by Fernando Mazzocca.
In 2019 she curated the exhibition Guy Harloff (1933-1991). Alchimie e sinestesie, held at the “Centro Culturale di Milano”.
Graduated in 1976 in Foreign Languages and Literatures from Università Cattolica in Milan, she gained 45 years of experience in the arts sector taking her very first youthful apprenticeship steps in 1975 at the Carini Art Gallery, Milan. Under the direction of her father Luigi Colombo she specialised in 19th and 20th century Italian and international art.
Since 1992 she has been the director of Nicoletta Colombo Art Studio, Milan, located in the city center.
Expert on Italian painting and sculpture of the second half of the 19th century and of the Italian “Novecento” (Novecento Italiano), she curated institutional exhibitions on 19th century Naturalism, on Divisionism, Primitivism, Futurism, Novecento Italiano and Rappel à l’ordre, Italiens de Paris, 1930s Italian art, Chiarismo, “Corrente” movement, Spatialism, The Cobra Group, and the related, individual artists.
Her professional experience includes art advisory on historical collections of 19th and 20th century painting and sculpture. She catalogued and selected the art collections of Provincia di Milano and Carichieti Foundation.
She is the author of volumes, essays and catalogues on movements and artists of Italian Ottocento and Novecento Italiano, as well as curator and co-curator of the Achille Funi, Piero Marussig, Pompeo Borra, Raffaele de Grada and Guy Harloff’s Archives. She has organized and authored institutional exhibitions and general catalogues about the above mentioned artists.
Since 2013 she is a member of the Ernesto Treccani Committee and of the “Corrente” Foundation Committee in Milan. In 2020 she was appointed technical consultant for Franco Garelli Archives.
Over the past decades to date she has been cooperating for scientific and curatorial consultancy with Provincia di Milano, Banca Intesa Sanpaolo, Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione Cassa dei Risparmi di Forlì, Fondazione Carichieti, VAF-Stiftung, Fondazione Accorsi Ometto-Museo di Arti Decorative in Turin, Fondazione Corrente in Milan.
He was born in 1962 in Berlin. He lives and works in Dreieich near Frankfurt am Main.
After completing his degree in business administration in 1987, he joined his father’s company.
The takeover of the management and the successful continuation of the company with the predominantly Italian contacts formed the basis of his passion for Italian culture.
And although he reorganised his professional life in 2009 and has worked successfully in the insurance industry ever since, this strong affinity with Italy has persisted.
Initial closer contacts with the VAF Foundation in 2018 then led to his becoming the second managing director in 2020. Then, after the unfortunate death of Dr. Klaus Wolbert, he became the sole director, and completely took over the office of the Management Board of the VAF Foundation.