ART, WHATEVER IT TAKES
Since the early pandemic in 2020, Rome Art Program has conducted a series of interviews, “Art, Whatever It Takes.”
Artists, Art Critics, and Art Historians living in Italy, the U.S., and U.K., share their insights during these powerful times.
Interview with Marco Pezzali
Marco Pezzali was born in Rome, graduated in Classical Studies and went on to earn a law degree. The Galleria della Tartaruga was founded in 1976, to provide a professional space dedicated to modern art, connecting tradition with the contemporary. The Gallery has organised exhibitions of important Italian and international artists at its Via Sistina Roman location; since 2022, it has also held exhibitions at the Eli bookshop on Viale Somalia in Rome. Beyond their extensive technical knowledge and authentic mastery of artistic language, a subtle common thread unites the Tartaruga’s artists: a strong connection to tradition and a profound reflection on the past, aimed at achieving aesthetic results and fostering a greater understanding of current issues, and even anticipating future dynamics.
RomeArtProgram: How did your passion for art begin?
Marco Pezzali: It was probably through 'breathing' it in at home with my family. In fact, my father was an engineer who was passionate about painting, and my mother had a degree in sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.
RAP: When did the project for the ‘Galleria della Tartaruga' (Turtle Gallery) arise, and how was the name chosen?
Marco: My father had already opened his own art gallery on Via Margutta called ‘Dei Leoni’. When I was nineteen, we considered opening another gallery on Via Sistina, and we decided to choose the name of a lucky animal with a long life... Tartaruga (Turtle Gallery) was an obvious choice.
RAP: How did the Galleria project evolve into a multifunctional space today?
Marco: I had to leave the Via Sistina space in 2021, as the owners were terminating all leases on the property to open a hotel. Fortunately, my friend Marcello Ciccaglioni, a renowned Rome-based bookseller who had recently opened a new 700-square-metre multifunctional space, offered me a place to stay. The centrepiece of this space is the bookshop, which hosts events, book launches, courses, conferences and book sales. The space brings together Rome's oldest publishing house, Palombi Editori, and the Orvieto-based winery Le Velette for various opening and post-event celebrations. Finally, I brought the Galleria della Tartaruga to fill the exhibition spaces. This combination of entities has generated a highly functional synergy, fostering cultural exchanges and providing constant stimulation for the various activities, which consequently thrive off each other.
RAP: What role does art play today?
Marco: In an increasingly fast-paced society and during a period of profound transformation, such as that brought about by the invention of digital technology, it is very difficult to understand the role of art. Art is trying to establish itself in this new reality, but this revolution is still in its infancy. As has always been the case, however, art will continue to interpret everyday feelings and prophesise the future.
RAP: What advice would you give to an emerging artist in the contemporary scene?
Marco: In times of transition like ours, it's never easy to give advice, especially today when the gap between generations seems so vast due to the shift from an analytical world to an increasingly digital one. However, I feel I can offer one piece of advice: work with intellectual honesty, and always maintain passion, determination and tenacity. Time will, as always, be the impartial judge.
RAP: What is the position of galleries, museums, academies, & art schools today, and what is your opinion on how they should be positioned?
Marco: It's a difficult question to answer because we're in a historic period of repositioning for all organisations. I just feel they should find an effective way to support young people in particular, and then guide them in their approach to art.
RAP: Will art save us?
Marco: Let's hope so..!
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