“I have always followed my taste, my artistic instinct, whilst constantly striving to find the quality of the mediums, of the marks and of the contemporary meaning.”

This thought envelops Susanna Orlando’s approach to her profession as a gallery owner and art dealer. A profession that she translates in a very personal way, selecting artworks with great care and passion, nurturing the ability to think outside of the box and stray from trends and what is obvious, paying attention to detail, in order to value and emphasize every single artwork, and constantly putting the collector at the heart of her work, with his taste, his needs and his desires.

Susanna, how do you go by selecting the artworks that you exhibit in your gallery?
I enjoy seeking out the artworks directly at the artist’s studio, and handpick them one by one. I must say that the artworks I like the most are the ones that the artist does not want to sell. Also, I have always preferred pieces that are carried out on paper: drawings and sketches, in which the artist’s first thought remains suspended in time. Artworks must exude the meaning of art and of the sacred.

Your frames are very renown, and rightfully so. Where does this attention to detail of yours come from?
I always pay very close attention – an almost obsessive one – while choosing the frames for artworks. I believe that every artwork has its own frame, which is able to enhance its quality and value. However, even the contrary remains true: for every frame that I come by, somewhere, there is the artwork that belongs to it.

Sometimes I use antique frames, which I may have adapted when necessary, otherwise I use frames specifically designed for me – under my supervision – by expert artisans, who pay great attention to every detail and nuance, following ancient Florentine traditions.

And what about your catalogues? These too seem to have become quite the collector’s item…
I began producing catalogues during the ‘90s, with Pino Deodato’s solo exhibition in ’96. The great and refined editor, Vanni Scheiwiller, inspired the small format and graphic style of my first catalogues. Nowadays, I adopt different kinds of formats, but the catalogues that I dedicate to the solo exhibits I curate are always characterized by great attention to detail and to the quality of the print as well as the graphics. More than classic catalogues they represent “stories”: they tell the story of an exhibit, an artist, and an encounter between artist and gallery.

How important is your relationship with collectors?
Collectors are at the center of my attention, at all times.

With them, I try to find the artworks that best respond to their taste, their sensibility and their desires. I see what they set their sights on, and that is the moment in which my suggestions begin.

What matters to me is to take care of their interest, and I do this even when it comes down to artworks that they acquire from other galleries.

Currently your activity is conducted not only in the gallery, but also and oftentimes “off site”. What does this entail?
This kind of activity originates from the attention that I have towards the collectors.

I always loved going to their homes and advise them on what kind of artworks would be most suitable for that kind of environment, as well as how to then place them. Oftentimes I work by reorganizing their walls, by relocating new pieces with those that they already possess.

Over time I developed this kind of approach even for projects involving hotels, restaurants, and businesses, by taking care of a coherent selection of artworks that best integrate the environment’s style and purpose. The applications of art are endless. Oftentimes, artists that collaborate with my gallery purposely create these artworks, or even site-specific installations.