In 1998 Galleria Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea opened its doors in Milan. The gallery stands out on the contemporary scene for its effective activities of support for young Italian art and international artists with a new, visionary approach. The choices of Antonio Colombo reflect a preference for figurative work, to some extent, but are driven by a passion for art in general.
The role and image of the gallery have taken on a precise character in over 20 years of activity, through exhibitions that have been apparently eclectic, but also strategic to experiment with and explore the existence and the possibility of new artistic pathways in various languages such as painting, drawing and sculpture.
Among the most important solo exhibitions by Italian artists, we can mention the show on Mario Schifano, with 3000 retouched photographs, in the early years of the gallery, and more recently the exhibition on Alessandro Mendini and Arduino Cantafora. Other outstanding include those of 108 (Guido Bisagni), Silvia Argiolas, Pierluigi Calignano, Marco Cingolani, Francesco de Grandi, Ilaria Del Monte, Nathalie Du Pasquier, El Gato Chimney, Massimo Giacon, Matteo Guarnaccia, Francesco Lauretta, Laboratorio Saccardi, Dario Maglionico, Fulvia Mendini, Luca Pancrazzi, Luigi Presicce, Giuliano Sale, Andrea Salvino, Olimpia Zagnoli.
In recent years the focus has shifted to international artists like Anthony Ausgang, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Clayton Brothers, Thomas Flechtner, Mike Giant, Ryan Heshka, Richard Johansson, Erika Nordqvist, Luke Pelletier, Russ Pope, Andy Rementer, TL Solien, Fred Stonehouse, Gary Taxali, Esther Pearl Watson, Eric White, Zio Ziegler.
The passion for rock music has also been a fundamental factor, in the choice of certain artists like Moby and Daniel Johnston.
In 2019 and 2020 the spaces of the gallery hosted events to celebrate the centenary of the Columbus company, owned by Antonio Colombo, with a series of three exhibitions gathered under the title Columbus Continuum: 100 Years of a Steel Manufactory in Milan. To narrate the many stories regarding this unique entrepreneurial adventure, connected with the founder of the company Angelo Luigi and his son Antonio Colombo, the exhibitions reconstructed a summary of several main production sectors: 1. Flessibili splendori: Columbus and Tubular Metal Furniture; 2. Anima d’acciaio: Columbus and Bicycle Design; 3. Traguardo Volante. Columbus and Cinelli: Art and Bicycles.
