The historic art market and contemporary research
Between Via Margutta, Piazza di Spagna and Via del Corso lies a sequence of spaces that intertwines Rome’s historical art market with initiatives dedicated to contemporary practices. Alongside galleries specializing in nineteenth- and twentieth-century art are projects focused on contemporary research, international institutions and spaces connected to printmaking and artistic production. The area maintains a continuity with the artistic tradition of the Tridente, historically associated with Rome’s Academy of Fine Arts, artists’ studios, galleries and sites of cultural production.
The area can be reached via Metro Line A through the Flaminio and Spagna stations, and is also served by tram line 2 and bus lines 117, 119, 280, 492 and 990.
Via del Corso, 530
Founded in 1959 by Alvaro Marchini, La Nuova Pesa collaborates from the outset with artists, critics and intellectuals central to Italian culture in the second half of the twentieth century. Since 1985, Simona Marchini has continued the gallery’s activity, directing it toward a curatorial line focused on contemporary research and linguistic experimentation.
Via Margutta, 48a
The Roman branch of the London-based Richard Saltoun Gallery develops an international program dedicated to contemporary art and to the rediscovery of historical figures often marginalized within canonical narratives. The program alternates contemporary artists with critical reassessments of postwar art, with particular attention to conceptual, feminist and performative practices.
Via Margutta, 54
Created through the merger of two historic galleries, Antonacci Lapiccirella Fine Art specializes in paintings, drawings and sculptures from the second half of the eighteenth century to the first half of the twentieth century. The program pays particular attention to Italian and Northern European artists, spanning Neoclassicism, plein air landscape painting, Symbolism and Magical Realism.
Piazza di Spagna, 5
The Contemporary Wall (TCW) is a project dedicated to contemporary art exhibitions installed on a single central wall within the historic headquarters of the Alberto Di Castro gallery. The program presents artists working across different media and approaches, bringing heterogeneous practices and backgrounds into dialogue within a space connected to a family tradition active since 1878.
Viale della Trinità dei Monti, 1
Home to the French Academy in Rome, Villa Medici develops a program dedicated to contemporary research through exhibitions, residencies, performances and interdisciplinary projects. The institution maintains a central role in fostering dialogue between the French and international art scenes, intertwining artistic production with historical heritage.
Via Bocca di Leone, 88
Opened in Rome in 2023, Tornabuoni Arte brings to the capital the work developed by the gallery founded in Florence by Roberto Casamonti in 1981. The program is dedicated to twentieth-century Italian and international art, with particular attention to the major figures of postwar Italian art.
Via del Vantaggio, 2
Litografia Bulla is the oldest lithographic studio still active in Rome and continues to collaborate with contemporary artists in the production of multiples, artist books and limited-edition prints. Since 2020, the Passaggi project has explored the relationship between traditional printmaking techniques and contemporary practices through a dedicated exhibition program.
Piazza Mignanelli, 23
Located at Piazza Mignanelli 23, PM23 hosts the cultural activities supported by the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation. The space develops an exhibition and cultural program in which fashion, contemporary art and interdisciplinary practices enter into dialogue, establishing PM23 as a new platform dedicated to contemporary creativity.
Together, these spaces define an itinerary that connects Rome’s historical art market with international contemporary research. Between Via Margutta, Piazza di Spagna and Via del Corso coexist collecting traditions, contemporary curatorial projects and cultural institutions that continue to make this area one of the city’s central artistic districts.
