Arturo Galansino’s Top Picks from Frieze Viewing Room
The director general of Palazzo Strozzi selects a jade horse, a photograph by Joanna Piotrowska and an abstract painting by Howardena Pindell
The director general of Palazzo Strozzi selects a jade horse, a photograph by Joanna Piotrowska and an abstract painting by Howardena Pindell
A Pair of Spanish Habsburg Knightly Stirrups, Spain, 16th–17th century
Steel, 14 × 12 cm. Presented by Peter Finer
As a show jumper, my selection reflects a lifelong passion for horses: a pair of 16th-century stirrups, functional objects, yet incredibly beautiful, and a small Mongolian jade horse, endearingly serene in repose.
A jade model of a recumbent Mongolian horse, China, 10th–13th century
Jade, 3 × 6 cm. Presented by Rasti Fine Art
Joanna Piotrowska, Untitled, 2024
Silver gelatin hand print, edition 5 + 2, 26 × 22 cm. Presented by Phillida Reid
Joanna Piotrowska is a remarkable artist whose practice I’ve been following closely. Her photographs, especially this one, are filled with intimacy and psychological tension. They prompt us to question whether the physical contact between the two children is a sign of affectionate sibling closeness or of subtle constraint.
Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Fez, 1918
Oil on canvas, 64 × 54 cm. Presented by Waddington Custot
Bernard Boutet de Monvel portrays Fez, a city where he spent years during World War I, as mysterious and almost dreamlike, rendering it in an abstract, cubist style. The architectural masses resemble frozen lava, and the city appears suspended in a quiet, sun-drenched moment.
Howardena Pindell, Tesseract #21, 2024
Acrylic on canvas, 1.7 × 2.4 m. Presented by White Cube
Howardena Pindell is not only an extraordinary artist but she has also worked as a curator at MoMA and as a gallerist, significantly shaping the visibility of female artists on the American art scene. I deeply admire her journey. This particular piece stands as a powerful continuation of the abstract art tradition.
About Arturo Galansino
Arturo Galansino is director general of Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in Florence and curator of the 2025 Frieze Masters Talks programme.
About Frieze Viewing Room
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Main Image: A jade model of a recumbent Mongolian horse, China, 10th–13th century. Jade, 3 × 6 cm. Courtesy: Rasti Fine Art
