Valeria Napoleone standing in front of an art piece from her collection
Born
1965 (age59–60)
Occupation(s)
Art collector, patron, and philanthropist
Knownfor
her contemporary art collection focuses exclusively on female artists for VNXX, VNXXCAS, and VNXX SculptureCenter
Spouse
Gregorio Napoleone
Valeria Napoleone (born 1965) is an Italian art collector and patron. Valeria has been a collector for 28 years since 1997,focusing exclusively on the work of female contemporary artists working internationally.[1][2][3]
Valeria grew up in Busto Arsizio, a town near Varese in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. She is the daughter of a plastics-and-resins industrialist, who played an important role in her life as a mentor. She is the twin sister of accessories designer Stefania Pramma.[4]
In the U.S., Napoleone is on the board of trustees at the NYU Institute of Fine Arts,[17] is a Vice-Chair of NYU’s President’s Global Council,[18] is on the board of trustees at the Renaissance Society in Chicago[19] and is an Advisory Board member of A.I.R. Gallery in NYC.[20]
Also, in 2012, Napoleone published her first book, an art cookbook, Valeria Napoleone’s Catalogue of Exquisite Recipes,[21] with contributions from 50 female artists, and gave the majority of the profits to Down Syndrome Education International.[22]
Valeria Napoleone XX
In 2015, Napoleone set up Valeria Napoleone XX, an umbrella platform for projects and initiatives that work towards increasing the representation of female artists in major public institutions.[23]
Named to highlight both collaboration and the female chromosome, this platform now has four ongoing initiatives: Valeria Napoleone XX Contemporary Art Society, Valeria Napoleone XX SculptureCenter, Valeria Napoleone XX Institute of Fine Arts and Valeria Napoleone XX Artists.[24]
Valeria Napoleone XX Contemporary Art Society
Valeria Napoleone XX Contemporary Art Society (VNXXCAS) is a joint initiative of Napoleone and the Contemporary Art Society. Established in 2016, the scheme purchases and donates a significant work by a living woman artist to a UK museum each year.[25] VNXXCAS acts as a focal point for debate on and action against gender inequality in the arts. It intends to provoke an examination of collecting practice and the wider effect beyond the acquisition of the awarded work.[26] In 2019, Napoleone was the recipient of the Montblanc Art Patronage Award for the initiative Valeria Napoleone XX in partnership with the Contemporary Art Society.[27][28]
Napoleone and SculptureCenter set up VNXXSC in 2015.[30] VNXXSC is a commitment to underwrite the production of a major commission by a female artist every 12 to 18 months at the New York-based nonprofit art institution dedicated to sculpture.[31] It is an initiative that ensures female artists’ voices are heard and celebrated, and that they are given opportunities to create monumental new work within a solo exhibition in New York.[32]
Anthea Hamilton: Lichen! Libido! Chastity, special commission Project for door (After Gaetano Pesce), 20 September 2015- 4 January 2016
Carissa Rodriguez, The Maid, new video commission, Sculpture Center, New York, 28 January - 2 April 2017
Fiona Conor, Closed for Installation, bronze pieces installation, accompanied by performative activities - perpetual window cleaning in a nearby apartment in Long Island City, 28 April - 29 July 2019
Rindon Johnson, Law of Large Numbers: Our Bodies, a new commission: Coeval Proposition #1: Tear down so as to make flat with the Ground or The *Trans America Building DISMANTLE EVERYTHING, Sculpture Center, New York, 25 March - 2 August
Lydia Ourahmane, Tassili, first institutional solo exhibition in New York, Sculpture Center, New York, 12 May – 1 August 2022
Tolia Astakhishvili, between father and mother, New York, Sculpture Center, New York, 7 May- 12 August
Valeria Napoleone XX Institute of Fine Arts NYU
Valeria Napoleone XX IFA is a commitment to underwrite the Great Hall Exhibition series at the NYU Institute of Fine Arts with two solo exhibitions a year focusing on the work of mid-career female artists.[34]
Martha Friedman, Some Hags, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House, New York, exhibition dates 16 October - 1 December 2016.
Lucy Kim, Rejuvenate and Repeat, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House, New York, 11 April- mid September 2017.
Judith Hopf, solo show, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House, 19 October 2017- mid January 2018.
Jamie Isenstein, Universe of Logs, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House, 2 May - 1 October 2018.
Elaine Lustig Cohen, Graphic Objects: Elaine Lustig Cohen’s Sculptural Works, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House, 19 October 2018 - 24 February 2019.
Amy Yao, Authorized Personnel, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House, 25 March - 15 September 2019.
Sarah Peters, Glossolalists, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House,15 October 2019- mid February 2020.
Xaviera Simmons, Posture, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House, opening 25 February 2020.
Cauleen Smith, H-E-L-L-O: To Do All At Once IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House.
Avital Meshi: Subverting the Algorithmic Gaze, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House. Online opening: March 28, 2022.
Mónica Félix, Estelio, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House. Online opening: March 24, 2023.
Maia Ruth Lee: Once we leave a place is it there, IFA NYU, Institute’s James B. Duke House. Opening: February 22, 2024, On View: February 23 to May 16, 2024.
Valeria Napoleone XX Artist (VN XX A)
Valeria Napoleone XX Artists was launched in September 2024 as an ongoing initiative dedicated to supporting female artists closely associated with the collection, by funding the production of artworks, publications, and exhibitions.
Projects include:
Nancy Dwyer’s solo exhibition at Kunsthalle Winterthur in Switzerland Hot Mess, September 7, 2024 - 1st, 2024.[36]
Margherita Manzelli’s solo exhibition, Le Signorine, at Centro Pecci in Prato, December 13th 2024- May 11, 2025.[37]
Personal life
Valeria and her husband Gregorio, co-founder of the European mid-market private equity firm Stirling Square Capital Partners, have three children, and are currently based in New York.[38]
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