Dr Gabriele & Monica Magnani at the opening of "Routes",
A Major Exhibition of Contemporary Middle Eastern and Arab Art,
at
Waterhouse & Dodd Gallery London, October 2008.
- Photo-Courtesy Naveed Nour.
To visit Gabriele new Website click here
In 1986, in Italy, a slogan evolved 'Voglia di. Vivere', 'I want to live'. In several widely read magazines and newspapers, this changed to I want to fly, I want to be pretty , I want to live a wonderful life, I want to live my life.
'Voglia di...' was coined by Gabriele Magnani and became the title of his first book. At the time he was the chief executive of the Parma Ham factories, which belonged to his Family Group of Industries, and was one of the most important families in the italian food industry since 1900. From 1985 Gabriele organised with 'Gruppo Giovani del'Industria' severals encounters with intellectuals and artists in Parma, and in his family house Palazzo Magnani in Sala Baganza. He was ably assisted by his inseparable wife Monica, whom he married in 1982, and who today follows him, every step of his life. Now Monica is correspondent for 'Antiquariato' magazine by Giorgio Mondadori/Cairo Editore in Milano.
Gabriele's book was published by an editorial company in Bologna , with the assistance of the RAI Journalist and theologian Padre Gabriele Adani., who was very known at the time, for many broadcast he created for the Antoniano in Bologna. The book recounts Gabriele's terrible experience of his tragic car accident in Italy in July 1973, when he was only 18 years old, and it continues with the account of his rehabilitation in an important Spinal Injures Centre in England, and also his first day out in a wheelchair in London Museums, studying Italian- British and International art.
Gabriele gained his degree in Law in Italy in 1979.
Gabriele was born in Parma, in March 1955.
In 1988 he published with Lucarini in Rome, his second book 'Il Diavolo e la Regina' , comprising a series of novels, reviewed an year later , on 'Superwimbledon', in the italian newspaper 'La Repubblica', as one of the most considerable books, among young Italian writers of the period. Always in 1988, he became a professional journalist , learned his trade by writing articles on art for the newspaper 'Gazzetta di Parma' , while he was collaborating with the magazine 'Armonie di Anni Verdi’, and with the newspaper of the 'Italian Association of Paraplegics', (both in Rome) where he fought for the rights of disabled people. In 1989 Gabriele's journalistic career took off. He met Ronny Bonelli who wanted Gabriele at the Giorgio Mondadori as correspondent in London for 4 magazines of the Giorgio Mondadori Group. At the same time, he met for the first time the architect Ettore Mocchetti ,editor of AD ( Architectural Digest magazine -Italian edition). The magazines were, AD- Arte- Antiquariato- Gardenia.
Two year later he was appointed a similar capacity for Bell'Europa.
Again in 1991, he became art collaborator from London, for the Mattino di Napoli, whose editor was Pasquale Nonno.
Over these years Gabriele published hundreds of articles and coverages as a young Italian art critic, viewing and reporting about all the exhibitions and art events in London in public and private galleries and museums.
In 1995, AD magazine, left Mondadori moving to Condè Nast Group, and Gabriele published his first "Da Londra" in June 1996, as AD correspondent from London.
From then up to today, he publishes every months art reviews, and interviews of international top artists and designers, and news of the intense cultural life of the England Capital. Moreover, between 1996 and 2003 in AD magazine Gabriele published around 50 central big art coverages (six pages each), in particular about European , and British art movements between 1800 and 1950. It's is important to stress that today Gabriele is also an independent curator as shown in his last exhibition 'Mediterraneo' at the Italian Cultural Institute in London. In this occasion he curated this very succesful exhibition , involving 20 embassies and 40 artists from all the Countries around the Mediterranean Sea.
This was the first time that the IIC had appointed an independent art critic for one of its exhibitions. Gabriele had enjoyed his first experience as an art curator in 1989 in Parma, in an exhibition for the Parma Cultural Council, and after that, he continued to curate further art exhibitions throughout Italy.
After (1997) he curated in London the show "Homage to Leonardo" by the Italian artist Carla Tolomeo at the Peter Nahum at the Leicester Galleries, in St.James's.
He wrote the foreword of Mike Francis' exhibition, that he personally open on the preview on the evening of 24th of June 2008 at the Messum's gallery in Cork Street.
As London agent of the artist Wijdan, Dr.Gabriele collaborated with Waterhouse & Dodd Gallery, for "Routes" exhibition in October 2008, Cork Street,London. Gabriele collaborated with the Royal Academy,Burlington House, Piccadilly London, for the exhibition "Palladio", opening 31th January 2009.
Currently Gabriele is working also intensively, in interior design of private residences , and also of Bars, Restaurants and Hotels, while he has just began to collaborate with Christie's for the 2008 Art Auction in Dubai and London.
Today Gabriele is agent in London for the artists: Patrick Altes, Carlo Bernardini, Gaetano Castelli, Gianni Cestari, Robert Cook, Mauro Davoli, Phoebe Dickinson, Mike Francis, Giovanni Frangi, Kostas Fosteris, John Lessore, Catia Magni, Houria Niati,Kimia Rahgozar, Steve Sabella, Medhat Shafik, Alex Shundi, Nigel Waymouth, and Wijdan Al-Hashemi.
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Dr Gabriele & Monica Magnani at the opening of "Routes", |
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Gabriele with his friends. This group of friends, inspired the short story "Scuola" in his book "Il Diavolo e la Regina",
published by Ellemme-Lucarini Editore Rome, in 1988.
Photographs Monica Mortarelli Magnani, Palazzo Magnani, Sala Baganza, Italy, January 2009