Roberto Gagliardi

Roberto Gagliardi (born in Aosta) is an Italian entrepreneur and the founder of the Chianciano Art Museum.^[1][2][3]

Gagliardi studied at the Convitto Nazionale of Aosta, La Salle College in Turin and Birkbeck College of the University of London.^[4] Gagliardi is renowned in the areas of art, design and furniture having clients all around the world. Gagliardi is best known for founding the Chianciano Art Museum in Tuscany. He is recognised in "Who is Who in Art"^[5] for his achievements during his career, has received the "Paul Harris Award" from Rotary International for his charitable activities^[6][7] and is a member of the National Union of Journalists in the UK.^[8] Gagliardi is the son of Franco Gagliardi, founder of Gagliardi Mobili SPA, and Isa Anselmet.^[9] He currently lives at Casa Gagliardi^[10] in Saint Pierre, Aosta, built on a thousand year old fortress that has been in his family for over seven generations.

Gagliardi is known internationally for his work in numerous institutions and important exhibitions around the world such as the London Art Biennale.^[11][12] Notably, Gagliardi was responsible for the return of several high profile artworks to Italy that are now on permanent show at the Chianciano Art Museum;^[13] the Portrait of Pope Pius V, oil on canvas, by artist Palma the Younger (1548/50 - 1628) that travelled from the Cervini and Bellanti Counts in the 16th Century to be purchased by Sir Robert Dick in 1842; Bronze Bust of Queen Maria Jose’ of Italy created by her mother, Queen Elizabeth of Belgium; An Icon made of Silver and rubies by Buccellati given by His Holiness Pope Pius XII to HRH Princess Margaret in 1949; A important portrait of Umberto II, King of Italy from the Savoia Collection.

Chianciano Art Museum

Gagliardi spent 5 years creating and designing the Chianciano Art Museum.^[14][15] Villa Igea, a hotel with over 130 rooms, was converted into one of the biggest private museums in Europe. The Museum of Art of Chianciano hosts a series of collections ranging from Neolithic and Asiatic to Contemporary art. There are approximately a thousand works on display separated into five sections; Contemporary Art^[16] that ranges from artworks by Salvador Dalí, Damien Hirst, Mario Schifano to Frances Turner and Tom Nash; Asian Art^[17] that presents works from the major dynasties with artefacts spanning from 5000 years ago to the Qing dynasty; Etchings and Engravings^[18] that includes original woodcuts by artists such as Dürer and Rembrandt to etchings by Delacroix, Goya and Piranesi - some of which were acquired from the Cincinnati Art Museum Collection and the Metropolitan Museum in New York; Master Drawings^[19] that includes works by Renaissance artists such as Tiepolo, Guercino and Veronese to more modern works by Toulouse-Lautrec, Munch and Grosz; Historical Europe^[20] in which a work by Napoleon III is exhibited alongside artworks coming from some of the most influential Royal collections in the world such as the British Royal Family and the Savoy Family of Italy.^[21]

The museum is known for organizing annual international events, including the Chianciano International Art Award and the Biennale of Chianciano. In 2013, the Biennale gathered over 500 artworks from approximately 35 nations and was one of the biggest exhibition of international contemporary art in the world.^[22][23][24]

Family

The Gagliardi family, of ancient Norman origin, settled in Cava de 'Tirreni in 1052 before emigrating to Provence and finally back where it settled down in the Kingdom of Naples. They are related to the Ruffo family and the Pignatelli family.^[25]

Gagliardi met his Swedish-born wife Marie-Anne Gagliardi^[26] in Switzerland while she was studying French at the University of Geneva and has two sons - Francesco Gagliardi, currently a manager at Google Italy, who studied at Oxford University, Bocconi University and Copenhagen Business School and Peter Gagliardi, currently a curator at the Gagliardi Gallery in London,^[27] who studied at University College London and Florence University.

Clients

• Crown Prince of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn^[28]
• Pianist Arthur Rubinstein^[29]
• The Al Sabah Family^[30]
• Princess Leila Pahlavi^[31]
• Princess Soraya Esfandiary^[32]
• Princess Fürstenberg^[33]
• Business Magnate, Prof. Douw Steyn^[34]
• Islamic Conference Centre, Kuwait^[35]
• The United Nations^[36]
• La Cité Universitaire of Geneva^[37]
• The Arab League of Geneva^[38]
• Universal Studios, Los Angeles^[39]
• Rank Organisation^[40]
• Italian Chamber of Commerce, London^[41]
• RAI offices, London^[42]

References