Marco Palmieri: Ettore Sottsass's Last Assistant Now Curates Major International Exhibitions
Born in 1969, Marco Palmieri is a Neapolitan architect, artist, photographer, and exhibition designer who served as the final historical assistant to Ettore Sottsass from 2000 to 2007. After gaining experience in Dublin and Paris, he made his artistic debut in 2008 with watercolors at Galleria Antonia Jannone in Milan, where he also established his studio. Palmieri has crafted museum installations for notable clients, including Pinacoteca Agnelli and Fondation Louis Vuitton, alongside personal exhibitions. His series 'Mappe' delves into the interplay between photography and painting. He collaborates with renowned artists like Rosemarie Trockel, David Hockney, Cindy Sherman, and Ed Ruscha, emphasizing visitor experience and spatial emotions in his exhibition designs.
Key facts
- Marco Palmieri was Ettore Sottsass's last historical assistant, working with him from 2000 to 2007.
- Palmieri debuted as an artist in 2008 with watercolors at Galleria Antonia Jannone in Milan.
- He opened his studio in Milan in 2008.
- He has designed installations for Pinacoteca Agnelli (Turin) and Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris).
- His 'Mappe' series uses 3D objects inspired by geometric forms, staged and photographed.
- He collaborated with David Hockney on 'David Hockney 25' at Fondation Vuitton (ended September 2025).
- He designed the exhibition for Cindy Sherman's retrospective at Fondation Vuitton in 2020.
- He worked with Rosemarie Trockel on 'Riflessioni' at Pinacoteca Agnelli in 2016.
- He worked with Ed Ruscha in Turin, mixing civic collection objects with Ruscha's works.
- Palmieri describes his approach as observing humanity as a theater.
- He learned watercolor from Sottsass while working on a project at the University of Salerno.
- He cites David Lynch, metaphysical painters, and Italian Renaissance art as influences.
Entities
Artists
- Marco Palmieri
- Ettore Sottsass
- Giacinto Di Pietrantonio
- David Hockney
- Cindy Sherman
- Rosemarie Trockel
- Ed Ruscha
- Felice Casorati
- David Lynch
Institutions
- Galleria Antonia Jannone
- Pinacoteca Agnelli
- Fondation Louis Vuitton
- University of Salerno
- Artribune
Locations
- Naples
- Italy
- Dublin
- Ireland
- Paris
- France
- Milan
- Turin
- Salerno