Sandie Zanini is the co-owner of the gallery Zanini Arte that we interviewed to learn more about how one should invest in art, or at least get some advice from an expert who is in daily contact with artists and collectors.
For over 100 years, this Italian gallery has been a point of reference in the contemporary art scene and also in the NFT sector. Since the dawn of the crypto art movement, it has aimed to create a convergence between the two worlds of art: physical and digital.
For this interesting and particular aspect, we interviewed Sandie Zanini. Below is the complete interview.
What criteria do you use to select the works to exhibit in your gallery?
First of all, I choose only artists and works that I like. For me, being a gallery owner means being passionate and art collectors, not simple merchants. The work of art must engage the eye, mind, and heart of the person viewing it. If I don’t fall in love with a work first, how can I convey its value to others?
How does the relationship with the represented artists develop? What role does the gallery play in their growth journey?
It is a direct relationship, based on trust.
The gallery is fundamental for an artist: it supports them in their journey of growth day after day, year after year. It has multiple roles.
The gallerist is the first fan of the artist, the one who believes in their work, their poetics, and their success, trying to ensure that others notice it as well.
It is an intimate advisor, for artistic and strategic choices.
It is a showcase of visibility for the artist, who promotes it through exhibitions, fairs, and their own communication channels.
It is a facilitator of relationships between collectors, curators, journalists…
What are the most relevant trends in the art market for your gallery?
The common thread of my gallery, Zanini Arte, is a selection of artists who reinterpret the past in a contemporary way, each with their own stylistic signature. The result is artists who speak different languages but all express what they are experiencing and where they come from. Most of my artists create figurative art, largely neo pop, but not exclusively.
How is the coefficient of an artist determined? And what factors can influence its increase or decrease?
The coefficient of an artist depends on their notoriety and the path taken: from group exhibitions to solo ones, from national visibility to international visibility. But above all, it is the market that determines it. As in any other commercial sector, the relationship between supply and demand is decisive. If an artist sells a lot or participates in significant projects, their coefficient grows; if they stop being in demand, it can decrease.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start investing and have an art collection?
Choose works that excite you. Investments can disappoint, but the joy of living every day next to a work you love is priceless.
What is the balance in your gallery between emerging and established artists?
Let’s say that we consider ourselves good talent scouts. We select with great research and attention emerging artists in whom we foresee a bright future and we accompany them on a growth path.
Some of them are now established internationally, which confirms to us that perhaps we are on the right track, since 1914.
How important is the economic value compared to the cultural or emotional value of a’work?
The economic value is just a number. The cultural or emotional value, on the other hand, in my opinion, is much more. Of course, choosing to invest in “winning horses” can provide security, but the world of luxury always has an element of uncertainty, at least until we are able to predict the future.
While the emotional value that a work conveys is personal and no one can take it away from you or tell you that it is worth less, just like the educational and cultural value. History is made of geniuses who, through their work, have taught us to look at the world from different perspectives.
How do you see the integration of technology in the art market, for example through NFT or virtual galleries?
I strongly believe in it. As Zanini Arte, we were among the very first galleries at an international level to promote digital art on blockchain.
Since 2019, at the dawn of the crypto art world, we have presented NFT works at fairs and in our gallery thanks to the OG duo Hackatao who introduced us to this new artistic movement at its inception. And even in the moments of crisis in the web3 world, we continued to believe in it and provide educational content, even without an economic return.
Personally, as a manager, curator, and speaker for several years, I have made the choice to primarily follow the world of phygital art.
What are your forecasts for the art market in the coming years?
We live increasingly in a world where physical and digital intertwine, reality and fiction will almost tend to overlap.
I believe therefore that art, to speak the language of its own time, cannot ignore the digital, but neither can it abandon manual skills and above all creative ingenuity. The difference lies in the mind that creates.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
