Antonio Homem, a discreet yet pivotal figure in the international contemporary art world, has passed away. The news was announced by Marsilio Arte. For over four decades, Homem was closely associated with the Sonnabend Gallery and, more recently, with the establishment of the Sonnabend Collection Mantova. As a collector and cultural promoter, he played a crucial role in the artistic preservation and transmission of the legacy of Ileana and Michael Sonnabend, who were central figures in the art scene of the latter half of the twentieth century.
Born in Lisbon in 1939, Homem received his education in Switzerland, studying engineering at the Zurich Polytechnic. In 1968, he joined the Galerie Ileana Sonnabend in Paris, beginning a collaboration that would define his entire career. During that period, the gallery served as a vital hub for the dissemination of European and American neo-avant-garde movements, fostering a network that connected artists, collectors, and institutions across the Atlantic.
His move to New York in the early 1970s marked a pivotal phase of expansion. In 1971, the gallery opened its SoHo space at 420 West Broadway, sharing a building with distinguished gallerists like Leo Castelli, John Weber, and André Emmerich. This move helped define the emerging contemporary art landscape that transformed the neighborhood into one of the art world’s vital centers. In this environment, Antonio Homem worked alongside Ileana Sonnabend, managing both the Paris and New York locations, traveling between the two cities, and actively shaping an exhibition program that significantly impacted the reception of artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jasper Johns.
Homem’s role became even more prominent following Ileana Sonnabend’s death in 2007. He directed the Sonnabend Gallery for seven years until its closure in 2014, ensuring the continuity of one of the twentieth century’s most influential ventures in the art market and visual culture. During a period of significant transformation within the gallery system, he oversaw a transition from a historic era to new methods of managing and circulating artworks, subsequently continuing his work as a private dealer.
Concurrently, in 2009, he co-founded the Sonnabend Collection Foundation with Nina Sundell, aiming to preserve and make accessible a significant body of work spanning major artistic movements from the 1960s through the end of the century.
This commitment also extended to Italy, particularly Mantua. It was through his dedication that the Sonnabend Collection Mantova was inaugurated in the Palazzo della Ragione, in collaboration with the Municipality and Marsilio Arte. This project makes a significant selection from the collection accessible to the public, featuring works by artists such as Bernd and Hilla Becher, Gilbert & George, Anselm Kiefer, Jannis Kounellis, Jeff Koons, Sol LeWitt, Bruce Nauman, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Mario Schifano, among others.
The city of Mantua had bestowed upon him honorary citizenship, recognizing the immense value of his contribution, which strengthened the dialogue between an internationally renowned collection and a specific regional context. This relationship, as noted by the involved institutions, remained vibrant until his final months.
