Gallerist: Victoria Golembiovskaya
House of the Nobleman
One of the many things that makes NYC so special is that it draws those who are constantly out to challenge themselves and bring new ideas and perspectives to the community. Enter Victoria Golembiovskaya, who garnered attention and acclaim for her House of the Nobleman in London, an art advisory firm that produces exhibitions in landmark locations internationally. Her new energy manifests itself on the Upper East Side with C1760, the modern and contemporary art department of Colnaghi, the world’s oldest commercial gallery, well known for Old Masters works.
Artist Getulio Alviani
My first meeting with her was when I caught the tail end of Getulio Alviani’s exhibition of reflective aluminum works at the C1760 Townhouse. Alviani was important in the op-art era, hailed from Udine, Italy, the same hometown as Leo Castello. They were pals. It’s an attractive show with chromed and anodized pieces, some feeling like a carnival house of mirrors. Alviani was big in the sixties and had some moments in the eighties, but despite important, critical work, time forgets things – until people step in with reminders.
Influences of Time
That brings us to my second meeting with Victoria and the summer exhibition at the Townhouse, titled Influences of Time based on Swiss Art Historian Heinrich Wolfflin’s “Kunstgeschichte ohne
Namen” (Art History without A Name). We can get heavy with this but we won’t. All I’ll say is that if you are into geometric abstraction, this show is for you. My guidance counselor in high school once said that I ranked very high in special relations, so I held onto that praise and somehow latched onto this type of work from an early age, searching for signs and symbols.
So, who is this woman? Victoria started working in the film industry in Moscow in the late nineties, where she was the manager of one of the biggest upcoming film stars. “It was a decisive chapter in my life at a time when Russia still had hope,” she says. “I realized that I was no longer able to function there, and I wanted to do international projects. Because all my friends were artists, it was natural for me to start doing projects with them.”
Damien Hirst, Banksy, Alexander Calder, Yves Klein & Pablo Picasso
When she moved to London, Victoria worked on a formula for art-inspired projects between the arts, real estate, and luxury brands. In 2010 she got a big break when the developer of a beautiful mansion overlooking Regent’s Park invited her to do a project, where each room of the house was to have a unique curated theme. The exhibition was a collaboration with real estate developers, luxury brands, designers and private collectors to show their works including Damien Hirst, Banksy, Alexander Calder, Yves Klein, Gerhard Richter, Pablo Picasso and Edouard Manet to name a few. This has been the first time that a luxury London residential property has been transformed into an exhibition on this scale and with works of such astounding historical significance. It was very well received and turned into a series of exhibitions. Now, House of the Nobleman has evolved from an art advisory to a private equity firm specializing in managing a spectrum of investments in the arts and creative industry.
Marina Abramovic, Velázquez & Christo
In 2019, Victoria joined Colnaghi to restructure the Gallery and prepare it for future growth, then began to build the Gallery’s Modern and Contemporary department, with projects from Dreamsongs: From Medicine to Demons to Artificial Intelligence, to Humble Works featuring Marina Abramovic with Velázquez, Christo’s wrapped Vespa motorcycle, and so on.
During the pandemic, Colnaghi further restructured the company and decided for London to focus on Old Masters while New York focused on an immersive program bringing Modern & Contemporary art into conversation with Ancient and Old Masters. This led to Colnaghi Gallery’s launch of C1760.
“I want to bring quality and curiosity, something fresh and new, something compelling. A combination between old and new art, and sometimes even design, which will be integrated into our 1880s townhouse of a Gallery – interesting events, discussions, happenings – I see all of that existing in this space,” she states, brimming with confidence.
Fall 2022 will present a group show of upcoming future stars and artists based in the Hamptons and NYC.
