Robilant + Voena Splits Into Two Family Galleries as Succession Reshapes the Business
Succession planning has become one of the art market’s quietest pressure points, and one of its most consequential. At Robilant + Voena, the answer is now a formal division: Edmondo di Robilant and Marco Voena are ending their 22-year partnership and launching two independent family-run galleries, Robilant and Voena.
The change places the next generation in visible leadership roles. Michele di Robilant, 30, will become gallery director at Robilant, with responsibility for exhibitions and strategic development, particularly contemporary programming. At Voena, Edoardo Voena, 33, takes on the gallery director role, while his sister Virginia Voena, 31, becomes sales director. Helen Record will remain with Robilant as head of content and research, and Pietro Sforza, the former sales director, is starting a London consultancy focused on Italian 20th-century and contemporary art.
The two businesses will now operate with distinct geographies. Robilant will be based primarily in London. Voena will work between the existing Milan space on Via della Spiga and a London gallery that has yet to be announced. The future of the Dover Street premises has not been determined. The New York gallery has closed, though Voena may seek another location in the city.
Both firms intend to remain active on the fair circuit. Voena’s first solo outing will be Art Monte-Carlo at the end of April, followed by Tefaf New York next month. Robilant will participate in the inaugural Nomad Hamptons in the United States at the end of June.
The split preserves the gallery’s long-standing curatorial range. Robilant + Voena became known for pairing Old Masters with Italian 20th-century art and contemporary work, a mix that both new businesses say will continue. That breadth has long distinguished the gallery in a market where specialization often narrows the field.
For Edoardo Voena, the separation reflects a natural evolution rather than a rupture. He says the family structure offers continuity while allowing each side to grow independently, and notes that founder-led galleries are difficult to pass on or sell without that continuity. Michele di Robilant, who joined the business two years ago after internships and work at contemporary galleries, describes the move as a chance to carry forward the founders’ knowledge while steering the gallery in a new direction.
The restructuring also arrives after a period of scrutiny for the business in 2024, when Virginia Brilliant filed a complaint alleging breach of contract and a toxic workplace. She later retracted the allegations in August 2024, and the founders said the matter had been withdrawn and fully resolved.
In an art market shaped by compliance demands, digital expectations, and increasingly complex logistics, the split suggests a broader reality: family galleries are no longer only about inheritance. They are also about whether the next generation can translate legacy into a viable business model for the present.
