GABRIELLA CARDAZZO, the beautiful daughter of collector Carlo Cardazzo, founder of the legendary La Galleria del Cavallino in 1942, grew up surrounded by art and artists. Her father was a friend and advisor to Peggy Guggenheim, and he exhibited key Italians Morandi, Modigliani and Fontana. Morandi often came to the house when she was a child. When her father died in 1963, she ran the gallery in 1966, joined by her brother Paolo (1936- 2011).
Gabriella ran it for the next 24 years, creating international links with New York, Los Angeles, and Scotland and shifting the focus to film and video in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Galleria del Cavallino organized 1,040 exhibitions from the 1940s to the early 2000s. The Cavallino staged solo exhibitions of artists destined to become big names, such as Braque, Picasso, Pollock, Kandinsky, Miró, Delaunay, Burri, Dubuffet, Franz Kline, Schwitters, Matta, Twombly, and Jasper Johns.
But in the 1960s, it was not easy for Gabriella. She was young, only 25, and a woman. The art world then was a male preserve. But the gallery was extraordinary because it was designed by architectural genius Carlo Scarpa, her father’s friend from student days. It was very near St Marks Square. To open a new gallery in April 1942 when Italy was at war is astounding, but Venice was somehow “untouched,” she said.
With her proficiency in English and love for travel, Gabriella was a force to be reckoned with. On the other hand, her brother Paolo was more inclined towards technology and set up a video laboratory as part of the gallery. Together, they played a pivotal role in transforming Cavallino into a significant hub for video art. Over 150 works were produced by many Italian and international artists, including Brian Eno, Dan Graham, and Marina Abramovic.
As time went on, Gabriella’s influence extended beyond Venice. She began to forge international connections, particularly with New York, Los Angeles, and Scotland. In 1969, she met Demarco, who introduced her to Joseph Beuys, Tadeusz Kanto, and the art scenes of Poland and Yugoslavia. This began a close collaboration between Gabriella and Demarco, leading to numerous exhibition exchanges between Venice and Edinburgh.
Of course, it was through Demarco that I met Gabriella and was warmed in the orbit of her Italian charm, enthusiasm, and knowledge—an unforgettable, magic, pioneering art world gallerist integral to Venice, Italy, and Scotland.
Gabriella Cardazzo 1939- August 2024
Words/Photo CLARE HENRY