Vito Schnabel
Vito Schnabel (born July 27, 1986) is the son of Julian Schnabel and an independent curator and art dealer based in New York City, U.S.A.
Career
Vito Schnabel is an independent curator and contemporary art dealer based in New York. He presented his first exhibition in 2003, at the age of 16. Since then, Schnabel has presented shows in various locations such as Galerie Bruno Bischofberger in Zurich, Switzerland, Acquavella Galleries in New York, a cloistered garden in Venice during the Biennale, photographer Richard Avedon’s former studio, and the Farley Post Office in New York, carefully matching artists’ work with unique and temporary exhibition settings.
Schnabel's first exhibition, Incubator, featured works by artists who frequented his family home, such as Vahakn Arslanian, Luigi Ontani, McDermott & McGough, Alejandro Garmendia, Herbie Fletcher, Jorge Galindo, and his sister Lola Schnabel. These artists, varying in age, nationality, and approach, reflect Schnabel's broad yet personal interest in art. In 2005, Schnabel presented a solo exhibition by 1970s artist Ron Gorchov in an unfinished warehouse on Hudson Street in Manhattan. Art critics raved and reviews were published in The New York Times, Artforum, Art in America, Interview Magazine, The New Yorker and Timeout. This exhibition led to a resurgent interest in Gorchov's work after 20 years with little attention, and resulted in Gorchov's solo exhibition at MoMA PS1 the following year. Since then, Schnabel has cultivated the careers of new artists and presented numerous exhibitions by Vahakn Arslanian, The Bruce High Quality Foundation, Terence Koh, Rene Ricard, and Theo A. Rosenblum.
Notable exhibitions to date have included an ambitious show of paintings by Terence Koh, Flowers for Baudelaire at Avedon's former studio, and a show of performance artist Laurie Anderson's paintings in the West Village. When auction house Sotheby’s opened a gallery space in 2011 at their New York headquarters, Schnabel curated the first official exhibition, These Days.
In 2013, Schnabel opened a showroom in the West Village where he exhibits artwork, hosts events, and conducts his daily operations.
In March 2014, Schnabel and The Bruce High Quality Foundation mounted the final Brucennial, a major recurring bi-annual exhibition that began in 2008. The Last Brucennial exhibited the work of 600 female artists. Together they have also established The Bruce High Quality Foundation University, a non-profit organization that offers classes to the public and opportunities for artists.
This past February, Schnabel curated an exhibition of Ron Gorchov's paintings at Sotheby's S|2 gallery in London. In May, he presented a group show at the historic Germania Bank Building on the Bowery, which had not been open to the public since the mid-1960s. The exhibition, First Show/Last Show, included works by Joe Bradley, Dan Colen, Jeff Elrod, Ron Gorchov, Mark Grotjahn, Harmony Korine, and Julian Schnabel. Today Schnabel continues to work with artists Laurie Anderson, The Bruce High Quality Foundation, Jesse Edwards, Ron Gorchov, Terence Koh, as well as the estate of the Rene Ricard.
The Vito Schnabel Gallery, opening in December 2015, is Schnabel’s first permanent gallery space and reflects his longstanding commitment to supporting contemporary artists. The gallery is located at the former Galerie Bruno Bischofberger site in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Bischofberger has been Schnabel's mentor; in recent years, they have presented three exhibitions together. The Vito Schnabel Gallery's inaugural exhibition, Urs Fischer's Bruno & Yoyo, will pay homage to Bischofberger, and will run from December 29, 2015 - January 31, 2016. This will be the Swiss artist’s first solo show in Switzerland in almost eight years. Concurrently, Vito Schnabel Gallery will present an offsite public art installation by Sterling Ruby, STOVES, which will remain on view at the Kulm Hotel through March 27, 2016.
External links
- Vito Maria Schnabel at the Internet Movie Database
- vitoschnabel.com, personal site
