Raffaella Cortese has been a contemporary art gallery and a vibrant meeting place since 1995.

Raffaella Cortese opened its first exhibition space with a solo show dedicated to conceptual photographer Franco Vimercati in 1995. Based in Milan’s Città Studi district since its inception, the gallery has a widespread spatiality thanks to its four spaces in Via A. Stradella, 7, 1, 4 and 15, as the latest private studio. Since 2022, the gallery has also a special project space in Albisola Superiore, on the Ligurian Riviera of Ponente.

The distribution of the diffused spaces has allowed artists to interact with different contexts in thinking of their exhibitions and presenting their works, and it offers a unique opportunity to nurture dialogue between the practices of artists across different generations and origins, in spaces with a clear architectural bond with Milanese design.

For 30 years, they have been significant to the close relationship with the city where we find ourselves immersed among the exhibitions of international artists, in a space far from the repeatable logic of the white cube.

In 2022, Raffaella Cortese opened a 12-square-meter exhibition space in Albisola Superiore (Liguria) as a niche in contemporary art that showcases a complementary program, offering site-specific works by the gallery’s artists, but also freely selected collaborations, often featuring new commissions by young artists and their respective galleries. Albisola offers a unique opportunity to experience and contemplate art at a different pace, in sync with a natural spirit embodying the freshness of water, the warmth of the sun, and the depth of the blue.

via A. Stradella 7, Milan

via A. Stradella 1, Milan

via A. Stradella 4, Milan

via A. Stradella 15, Milan

via C. Colombo 54, Albisola Superiore (SV)

Artists

The gallery represents a transgenerational group of 30 global artists working across different media, with renowned dedication to the representation of women artists and long-standing collaborations with major public institutions. The artists’ practices are centered on critical themes such as individual, political, and national identities; the body, language, and literature, as well as issues of feminism, femininity, and gender.

Through its long-standing commitment to the advancement and promotion of photography, installation, and time-based media such as video and performance art, Raffaella Cortese has established itself as a pivotal member of the Milanese and Italian contemporary art scene. The gallery was one of the first to introduce the work of pioneering American women artists to the Italian contemporary art market in the ’90s and championing the work of women has become a defining aspect of the gallery’s identity over the years. A parallel focus of Raffaella Cortese’s program has been developing the careers of Italian artists, both acting as a site of experimentation for younger generations as well as bringing underrepresented late-career artists to the forefront.

Commitment

A member of Italian gallery associations such as ANGAMC since their foundation, Raffaella Cortese is deeply rooted in the Milanese and Italian scene of galleries that nurture the contemporary art system.

Raffaella Cortese has a long-standing tradition of discreet philanthropy in support of women’s rights and artistic practices. This commitment also extends to the protection of natural resources, with a particular attention to marine conservation.

Education and access to knowledge have always been central to the gallery’s vision. Within the gallery, a dedicated library and consultation space is open to scholars, researchers, students, and art enthusiasts, fostering the study of artists’ practices and encouraging the circulation of artistic knowledge.

As further reflected in the Albisola program, Raffaella Cortese has consistently invited and supported younger generations of artists and gallerists, fostering a dialogue between emerging voices and the artists who have shaped the gallery’s history.

Through its long-standing support of Italian institutional collections and its enduring commitment to strengthening the presence of its artists in museums, the gallery works to encourage the participation of international artists in Italian institutions, as well as that of Italian artists abroad.

Committed to sustaining emerging authors and contemporary art critics, the gallery has hosted numerous book presentations and has continuously supported the editorial dimension of its artists’ practices.