Italian galleries reveal internship practices: few hires, many demands
An investigation by Artribune, curated by Massimiliano Tonelli, surveyed over 30 Italian contemporary art galleries on their use of interns. The findings reveal a widespread reliance on unpaid or low-paid internships, with most galleries offering no path to employment. Interns typically come from local universities and academies, work 2-6 months, and perform tasks from reception to exhibition setup. Only a minority of galleries, such as Galleria Massimo Minini in Brescia and Galleria Michela Rizzo in Venice, report high conversion rates to contracts. Others, like Galleria Alessandro Casciaro in Bolzano and Galleria P420 in Bologna, rarely or never hire interns. The survey highlights a systemic issue: internships are seen as educational but often fail to lead to stable jobs, reflecting broader precarity in the art world.
Key facts
- Over 30 Italian galleries surveyed on internship practices.
- Most interns come from local universities and academies.
- Internships typically last 2-6 months, unpaid or low-paid.
- Few galleries offer contracts after internships.
- Galleria Massimo Minini reports high hiring rate.
- Galleria Michela Rizzo hires 40% of interns.
- Galleria Alessandro Casciaro never hired an intern.
- Survey published by Artribune, curated by Massimiliano Tonelli.
Entities
Institutions
- Artribune
- Galleria Alessandro Casciaro
- Libera Università di Bolzano
- Galleria Federico Vavassori
- OTTO Gallery
- DAMS
- RIZZUTOGALLERY
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo
- Galleria Francesco Pantaleone Arte Contemporanea
- Galleria Lia Rumma
- Galleria P420
- Università di Bologna
- Pinksummer Contemporary Art
- Università di Genova
- Galleria Rubin
- Galleria Spazia
- Galleria Vistamare
- Galleria Kaufmann Repetto
- CollicaGreggi
- Galleria Cardi
- Galleria Carla Sozzani
- Galleria Placentia Arte
- Studio Trisorio
- Studio Guastalla
- Galleria Marcolini
- Galleria Tiziana Di Caro
- Galleria Il Ponte
- Galleria Alfonso Artiaco
- Galleria Poggiali
- Galleria Tonelli
- IULM
- Università Cattolica
- Accademia di Brera
- Galleria Thomas Brambilla
- Galleria Erica Ravenna Fiorentini
- Galleria Massimo Minini
- Galleria Guido Costa Projects
- Galleria T293
- Galleria Norma Mangione
- Galleria Gagosian
- Galleria Alberto Peola
- Università di Monaco di Baviera
- Galleria Michela Rizzo
- Galleria Russo
- Università Lorenzo De’ Medici
- Galleria Caterina Tognon
- Studio d’Arte Raffaelli
- MAC Maja Arte Contemporanea
- Galleria Open Art
- Galleria Eidos Immagini Contemporanee
- Brand New Gallery
- Boccanera Gallery
- Erasmus
- Massimiliano Tonelli
Locations
- Bolzano
- Italy
- Milano
- Bologna
- Palermo
- Genova
- Roma
- Piacenza
- Napoli
- Forlì
- Firenze
- Bergamo
- Brescia
- Torino
- Venezia
- Trento
- Prato
- Asti
- Catania
- Londra
- Berlino
- Monaco di Baviera