Vito Schnabel is an art dealer and the owner of Vito Schnabel Gallery, founded in Switzerland in 2015, and Vito Schnabel Projects, founded in New York in 2003.
Biography
Schnabel was born and raised in New York City. He is the son of artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel and Jacqueline Beaurang, a designer. Schnabel attended Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn and Columbia University for one year Schnabel organized his first exhibition at the age of 16, a group show in New York in 2003. Two years later, he presented a solo show of Ron Gorchov’s paintings. Gorchov’s work had not been shown in over a decade, and the exhibition led to a resurgent interest in the artist’s work, including a solo exhibition the following year at MoMA PS1. Other early exhibitions presented by Schnabel include a show of Terence Koh’s paintings at Richard Avedon’s former studio in New York in 2008, several exhibitions of Rene Ricard’s paintings in New York, Los Angeles, and London, and an exhibition of Laurie Anderson's paintings and drawings in New York in 2012. Schnabel has organized several major group exhibitions in temporary exhibition settings, such as DSM-V, curated by David Rimanelli, at the Farley Post Office in New York in 2013, and First Show / Last Show, presented in 2015 at the Germania Bank Building on the Bowery, which had not been open to the public since the mid-1960s. In 2013, Schnabel opened an office and showroom in New York where he presents public exhibitions. Vito Schnabel Gallery opened in St. Moritz in 2015. The gallery is located in Bruno Bischofberger's former space on Via Maistra. Bischofberger, a lifelong friend and mentor to Schnabel, was the first gallerist to establish a space in St. Moritz in 1963. The inaugural exhibition at Vito Schnabel Gallery was Urs Fischer: Bruno & Yoyo, which featured all new work and paid homage to the legendary dealer. Vito Schnabel Gallery works with artists Laurie Anderson, Jeff Elrod, Urs Fischer, Walton Ford, Ron Gorchov, Walter Robinson, Sterling Ruby, Tom Sachs, Julian Schnabel, Pat Steir, and the estates of Dan Flavin, Sol LeWitt, and Rene Ricard. Schnabel works closely with Major Food Group, the team behind Carbone, The Grill, The Lobster Club, The Pool, Sadelle's, ZZ's Clam Bar, Dirty French, Santina, and Parm. Schnabel partners with them in many of their ventures, including curating the art in several of their restaurants.
