Italian gallerist Claudio Poleschi dies at 73

Claudio Poleschi, the Italian gallerist and founder of Claudio Poleschi Arte Contemporanea, has died at age 73. He ran his gallery in Lucca from 1973 to 2018, establishing it as a key contemporary art hub. In 2021, he relaunched the gallery in San Marino's Banca di San Marino building. Over 42 years, he collaborated with international artists such as Mimmo Paladino, Louise Nevelson, Julian Schnabel, Gino de Dominicis, and Ettore Spalletti. Poleschi came from a dynasty of gallerists; his brother and nephew Andrea also worked in the field, and his wife Ida Pisani runs Prometeo Art Gallery in Milan. In early 2020, with Maurizio Fontanini, he launched Art Share, an online platform for fractional art sales. His final project was Altana, a major exhibition of Stefano Arienti's work set for September in San Marino, part of the SM-Art series. Tributes came from Giuseppe Stampone, Fabio Cavallucci, Santa Nastro, and Christian Caliandro.