A groundbreaking museum showcasing nearly 100 artworks from the legendary Sonnabend Collection has officially opened its doors in the historic Renaissance city of Mantua, Italy. The extraordinary collection, valued at an impressive $270 million, features masterpieces by renowned Pop artists, Arte Povera sculptors, and influential contemporary artists, made possible through a significant partnership with the prestigious Sonnabend Foundation.
The museum represents the culmination of decades of art collecting by Ileana Sonnabend (1914-2007) and her second husband Michael Sonnabend, who together revolutionized the international art scene. The couple first opened Sonnabend Gallery in Paris in 1962, operating it until 1968 before relocating to establish a new gallery in New York in 1971. During the transformative decades of the 1960s and 1970s, the Sonnabend galleries played an instrumental role in bridging cultural divides by introducing European avant-garde art to American audiences while simultaneously bringing American Pop Art to European collectors and enthusiasts.
Throughout their illustrious careers, the Sonnabends assembled an unparalleled collection of postwar art that reads like a who's who of contemporary artistic excellence. The collection includes significant pieces by Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg, iconic Pop paintings by Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, groundbreaking Minimalist works by Donald Judd, innovative installations by Arte Povera artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, and influential conceptual photography by Bernd and Hilla Becher as well as Bruce Nauman.
Following Ileana Sonnabend's death in 2007, the collection faced significant challenges when her heirs, adopted son Antonio Homem and daughter Nina Sundell, were forced to sell off a substantial portion of the artwork in 2008 to cover massive estate taxes. At that time, the total value of the estate's assets was estimated to reach as high as $1 billion, with more than half of that amount required to satisfy tax obligations.
The remarkable artworks now occupy 11 carefully curated galleries within the historic Palazzo della Ragione, a magnificent 13th-century building that once served as the town's municipal hall. This ambitious project, officially titled "Sonnabend Collection Mantova," represents a collaborative effort between the Municipality of Mantua, the Sonnabend Collection Foundation, and Marsilio Arte.
Mayor Mattia Palazzi explained during a recent press conference that the Sonnabend Foundation Collection has generously loaned the precious artworks to the municipality for an initial period of six years, with an option to renew the loan for an additional six-year term. However, Mayor Palazzi emphasized his strong hope and intention for the museum in Mantua to eventually become a permanent home for these invaluable works, ensuring their accessibility to future generations of art lovers and scholars.
