Incollect Magazine - Issue 9

Incollect Magazine 79 Valentina Puccioni Arco Gallery, New York Valentina Puccioni was born in Florence, Italy, and after earning a Master’s in Art History from the University of Siena, relocated to New York where she co-founded the Vanni Archive, a collection of over 100,000 images of art and architecture. In 2014, driven by “a deep passion for connecting artists and collectors,” she founded Arco Gallery in SoHo. Her philosophy as a dealer is rooted, “in offering a personalized and thoughtful approach to collecting.” She focuses not on market trends, but on creating meaningful relationships between artists and collectors. “I often like to say that creating art is for those with a vision while collecting art is for those who feel that vision enhances their own lives. Facilitating this connection is what brings me the greatest fulfillment.” Puccioni has helped curate numerous private and public art collections including those for New York City residential buildings built by CAMBA Housing Ventures, a non- profit affordable housing developer. “The positive impact of art on health and well-being is widely recognized, and I believe art should be accessible to all, regardless of financial status. CHV’s visionary approach has made it possible to provide that access to many New York residents who would otherwise be excluded from this.” Leila Heller Leila Heller Gallery, New York and Dubai For four decades Leila Heller has been a fixture on the New York and international gallery scene and a pioneer in promoting creative dialogue and exchange between Western artists and Middle Eastern, Central, and Southeast Asian artists. In 2015, Leila Heller Gallery branched out, opening a second gallery in Dubai. Located in the art district Alserkal Avenue, it is 16,500 square feet with 32-foot ceilings, featuring three exhibition spaces and making it, according to the gallery website, “the largest gallery in the Middle East.” The program in Dubai mixes regional and international artists with a strong focus on artists from Iran, where Heller was born and maintains family ties. Part of the mission of the Dubai gallery, she says, “is to promote knowledge and understanding about art and artists via innovative curatorial and educational programs with an emphasis on promoting a dialogue between Western and Middle Eastern artists.” Gallery artists and exhibitors include Y. Z. Kami, Farideh Lashai, Shiva Ahmadi, Maria José Benvenuto, and Wim Delvoye. “I’ve always been proud to be a female art dealer in New York, carving out a space in a field largely dominated by men,” Heller says. She has found an even greater sense of recognition in the Middle East, where she says her work is met with real respect and admiration: “It’s a region where women have long been leaders in the art world — curators, dealers, and directors — completely defying typical Western assumptions of gender relations. I love being part of a story that not only challenges those perceptions but highlights the strength and influence of women across the global art scene.”