Frascione Arte

Active since: 2009
Areas of interest: Painting and sculpture from the 14th to 18th centuries

Galleria Frascione Arte opened its doors in Via Maggio in 2009, under the direction of Federico Gandolfi Vannini. Building on a family collection that dates to 1893, Federico works with great passion to enrich and expand the gallery’s holdings. The family’s involvement in the field began in Naples – in Pizzofalcone in particular – with Enrico Frascione at the end of the 19th century. His son Vittorio moved to Florence in the 1930s, where he studied and worked hard to put together an art collection, which reflected his passion for currents ranging from primitivism to contemporary. His collection, however, was not generally open to the public. His son Enrico made a distinguished career as a historian of Florentine antiques, with a studio in Via dei Fossi. Federico, representing the fourth generation of this dedication to art and antiques, was steeped in the atmosphere of this fascinating world. Born in Florence in 1977, he studied art history at the city’s university. Following numerous experiences abroad, he decided to open his business in the prestigious Palazzo Ricasoli Firidolfi in Via Maggio. The gallery specialises in Italian paintings from the period spanning the 14th and 18th centuries, with a particular predilection for the Tuscan school. At the same time, it has shown interest in more recent works, from the 19th and 20th centuries, which are distinguished for their artistic and historical qualities.

Thanks to its participation in national and international events, such as the Florence International Antiques Fair and TEFAF New York, the gallery has created a dense network of relationships with private collectors and important museums throughout the world. It pays particular attention to art historical research, which has resulted in the gallery’s publication of the ‘Cahier’ series with the collaboration of important art historians. Among its most important editions are those which regard previously unknown works of art, the fruit of long research and attention to items that from time to time appear on the antiques market. It further sponsors the publication of monographs on little known artists, such as Antonio Balassi, Sigismondo Coccapani, Claudio Francesco Beaumont and RAM. It also lends its objects to museums and foundations for exhibitions: the most significant of these loans were the bust Hannibal the Carthaginian for the exhibition Verrocchio, Master of Leonardo at Palazzo Strozzi, and Louis Finson’s Saint Sebastian for Caravaggio y los pintores del Norte at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid. Since its establishment, Frascione Arte has been a member of the Italian Antiquarians Association (AAI).