Vito Abba organizes contemporary art exhibitions. He got into the field through his marketing job in communications working for auction houses and contemporary art. Over time, he took on more organizational roles and set up his own auction house and exhibition company. When organizing exhibitions, he handles all aspects from artist contact to promotion. His main criteria for selecting artists are the quality of their work and their character as a person. He finds inspiration from artists like Sumio Inoue but makes choices independently without relying on advisors. The economic crisis has impacted the art market but also created opportunities to explore new markets and formats like exhibitions in unconventional spaces. He sees synergies between art and luxury real estate as people often purchase both together.

1. VITO ABBA
CONTEMPORARY ART
EXHIBITION ORGANISER
You organise contemporary art exhibitions. How did you get into the
world of art?
Through my job in communications and marketing where I worked
mainly in the field of contemporary art and for auction houses.
I gradually started taking on organisational functions to give life
to contemporary art exhibitions organised entirely by me and my
staff, and to set up an auction house with associates in Florence
in 1998.
Can you tell us about your different functions when organising
contemporary art exhibitions?
I like to take care of all the phases: contact with the artists, choice
of exhibition venue, the staging, logistics, preparation for the ca-
talogue, supervising promotion of the event, etc. In my opinion, if
you supervise every aspect it minimises the chance of mistakes
being made and ensures quality is high.
Do have extensive or predominant selection criteria? Have these
criteria evolved over time?
Over the years, I have realised that there are two key criteria go-
Vito Abba © Danish Saroee
verning my choice of the artists with whom I work. They are both
very simple, but fundamental for me: the quality of the work and
the quality of the person as a human being.
Which artist has had the most impact on you and why? What would be your advice to an art lover or investor wanting to
start an art collection today?
It is difficult to name one artist among so many interesting ones.
If I refer to the two criteria already mentioned, the artist who best I offer two pieces of advice. For the art lover, I would say sim-
combines them for me is Sumio Inoue, precisely because he crea- ply buy what you like; for the investor keep going to auctions and
tes works of great quality, totally original, and is a very nice person monitor the market. Obviously, the two aspects may sometimes
who combines creativity and precision. It is always a pleasure to happily coincide. It’s a reliable system which reduces the chance
meet him. At every exhibition he takes part in, like the Open Art of disappointment. We should also add to these ingredients a little
Code group that I have the honour of coordinating, he is always emotion: I really don’t like going to exhibitions and seeing impas-
praised by the public as well as his colleagues. sive faces, where there is no reaction. It’s like seeing people in
the street with headphones on, listening with half an ear to music
Do you rely on the advice of an arts consultant, gallery owner or
which clearly offers no emotion or even pleasure.
art critic?
In your opinion, is it important to meet the artists, to visit them in
No, even though I meet and work with art critics and gallery owners,
their studios and immerse yourself in their universe before buying
I prefer to make my own choices independently. That applies both
a piece?
for purchasing an art work or organising an exhibition. I listen to
expert advice and take the market into account, but as a guiding Absolutely – a work of art is not a bundle of shares on a listed com-
principle my policy is one of freedom. pany. Sometimes, you have to get your hands dirty with a painting!
Finding and getting to know artists is hugely rewarding in human
Christo once gave me his recipe for organising a biennial event
terms. Some artists offer an original and unexpected vision of rea-
(which of course he had no intention of organising): set a start date
lity, sometimes with the eyes of a child, sometimes a little crazy. A
for registrations, and the second piece of advice is that any artist
big exhibition like World Art Vision, where artists come from all five
who signs up within the deadline can exhibit. A bit like the Salon
continents, is an excellent opportunity to meet and get to know
des Artistes Indépendants which was based on the principle of
artists, to discuss their work with them without the mediation and
having no admission juries (no jury and no awards). He added as
filter of an art critic or dealer.
a provocation: “if a work offends someone because of sex, poli-
tics, or religion, well that’s the problem of the person who feels
offended.”
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2. At the World Art Vision in 2008 in Cancun I had a chance to meet new technology. When it gets more difficult to bring the public to
los Fridos artists Arturo Estrada and Arturo Garcia Bustos (Frida exhibitions you have to create new forms of contact. For example,
Kahlo’s assistants) and Rina Lazo (Diego Rivera’s assistant). Lis- in December 2012 at Art Basel in Miami I am bringing with me the
tening to their anecdotes of life with Frida and Diego Rivera is like Studio Abba Yearbook, a sort of catalogue/magazine which brings
being immersed in recent art history, in the cultural life of the 20th together major events organised by Studio Abba in 2012 and pre-
century and at the same time having the final testimony of their sents, among the artists I work with, some that I consider to be
mural painting techniques, which began with a study of frescoes the most interesting. The publication will be sent to more than 900
from Antiquity and the Renaissance. recipients worldwide in galleries, museums, art critics, collectors
and so on.
Another experience which I remember with pleasure was Fernando
Botero’s exhibition at the Piazza Signoria in Florence in 1999. Mr Our magazine is based on an alliance between emerging contem-
Botero is a great artist, a real professional, a true gentleman and porary art and luxury real estate. Do you think it’s pertinent to unite
very attentive to the success of his exhibitions. In the days leading these two themes?
up to the exhibition he was among the first to arrive at the Uffizi
Absolutely, they go hand in hand almost. A question that I often
Gallery at 5am to oversee positioning of his monumental bronze
hear asked by people weighing up a work of art is: “But would you
sculptures.
put that in your home?” A good percentage of art purchases are
The art market has changed a great deal these last few years. How by people who already know which wall they are going to hang
does the new economic reality affect the organisation of your exhi- the painting. The person who buys luxury properties is usually in a
bitions? position to choose the most beautiful furniture and can relish in the
pleasure of selecting the most appropriate art works.
The crisis has affected everyone’s behaviour. While it may be dif-
ficult for artists to sell their work, it’s a good time for collectors.
Take antiques as an example: today you can buy antiques at a
lower price than ten years ago, so it’s a good time to buy. What I
have been trying to do these last few years is to tackle new mar- Paul Conrad
kets like China, to organise exhibitions in unconventional places,
to monitor very closely the relationship between art, science and
World Art Vision Barcelona in 2011 © Danish Saroee
World Art Vision Barcelona in 2011 © Danish Saroee Open Art Code artists in front of The Royal Academy in London
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3. Piece by Eugenio Riotto in the Giardino Garzoni and Parco di Pinocchio at Collodi in Tuscany
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4. Performance by Nam Hong at the World Art Vision party in Madrid in 2012
Performance by Marely Becerra at the World Art Vision party in Madrid in 2012 Open Art Code Paris at the Grand Palais
Arturo Estrada, Rina Lazo and Arturo Garcia Bustos at the 2008 World Art Vision Arturo Estrada (student and assistant to Frida Kahlo) and Vito Abba at the 2008
© Danish Saroee World Art Vision in Cancun
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