Gisela Capitain on 40 Years of Gallerist Career and Kippenberger Legacy

In a conversation with Valentina Perrella, gallerist Gisela Capitain reflects on her 40-year career, from co-founding Kippenbergers Büro with Martin Kippenberger in 1978 to opening Galerie Gisela Capitain in Cologne in 1986 and later spaces in Berlin (2008) and Naples (2023). She discusses her punk-influenced beginnings in West Berlin, the experimental Büro space, and her focus on works on paper and ephemera. Capitain highlights the distinct urban contexts of Cologne and Berlin, and her choice of Naples for a pop-up space at Palazzo Degas, where a capsule collection of Kippenberger baseball caps supports Cooperativa E.V.A. against gender violence. She cites Paula Cooper, Barbara Gladstone, Marian Goodman, and Monika Sprüth as inspirations. The gallery celebrated its 40th anniversary with a Kippenberger exhibition, and Capitain emphasizes the importance of risk-taking and multidisciplinary practices among artists like Seth Price, Stephen Prina, Samson Young, and Zoe Leonard.