The gallery

 


Galleria93 contemporary art has been active in Prato since 2016. It is situated in the historic square Piazza Santa Maria in Castello, in the heart of Prato town centre. This excellent collocation that is a few meters from the “Emperor’s Castle” boasts architectural origins that go back to the year 1000 AD; the stone wall is in fact a living testimony of the primitive parish church oh Santa Maria in Castello.
The ambience of GAC93 assume the task of precious historical testimonies and becomes a perfect receptacle for valuaating modern and contemporary art, the past thet creates a precious frame of the present.

GAC93 want to be a meeting point for art lovers, a showcase for contemporary art and a useful space for realising projects that eulogize and share contemporary art as an element of cultural enrichment.
In its rooms lives the creations of Italian and international artists and classical works are situated next to young emerging artists. Our ambition is to discover and love art from an ever increasing number of collectors. The objective is to propose works not only as an investment, but above all a form of enjoyment, capable of fulfilling the desires of the human soul and giving cultural nobility to personal life.

It is a pleasure to work with artist of every genre; the works displayed in GAC93 belong to artists that share our line of thought and our passion; the same passion that moves us to participate in the most important national fairs of this sector.

GAC93 offers forthermore a  consultation service regarding the sale price of works to guarantee a price that is in line with the current market.

the art space in the ancient sacristy”
It’s a Tuesday afternoon, the air is still warm and the sky alternates between rain and clearing. The meeting point is a lovely square in the historic center of Prato, Piazza Santa Maria in Castello. The collector Franco Bertini and the owner of the 93 Contemporary Art Gallery Cinzia Lascialfari are waiting for me there. Franco Bertini will accompany me to discover the former church of Santa Maria in Castello dating back to the 11th century and Cinzia Lascialfari will host me in her gallery. Bertini explains to me that the church, deconsecrated in the second half of the eighteenth century, is now a well-maintained residential property. The plaque on the facade reads: “Ex chiesa di Santa Maria in Castello, Secc. XI-XII. The church, which stood in contact with the walls of the oldest castle of Prato, was a parish until 1783; it was then transformed into a dwelling”. The history of this place intrigues and amazes me at the same time. We dwell immediately on what remains of that church, which at the time was the most important of the Castrum Prati. On the facade are clearly visible the remains of the masonry in alberese as well as traces of the front door and the upper circular eye. Inside there was an altarpiece by Fra Bartolomeo “Assumption of the Virgin with St. John the Baptist and St. Catherine of Alexandria”, now in the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples. The destiny of the former church of Santa Maria in Castello and Gallery 93 are intertwined, as Cinzia Lascialfari tells me: “My gallery, born at the end of 2016, was initially located in Via Ferrucci outside the walls, then I decided to move here from 2019, right next to what remains of the religious building. Most likely the gallery was part of the former sacristy rooms.” Then he adds: “The gallery wants to be a meeting point for art lovers, a showcase for contemporary art and a praise of art as an element of cultural enrichment. In the rooms, classic works coexist alongside those of young emerging artists, as well as Italian artists with international artists. For me, works of art are not only an investment, but they are above all forms of pleasure, capable of satisfying the desires of the human soul and culturally ennoble life”. Another of her great passions is interior design and this can be seen in the attention to detail and elegant style with a feminine touch that she has given to her gallery. During the visit to the exhibition rooms, Cinzia focuses on the stone wall: “It is original and I wanted to leave it like that without covering it with plaster because it represents the testimony of the history of this place. Here, the past and the present come together in honor of art. I’m very keen that, even during exhibitions, the wall be left free without hanging paintings on it.” Cinzia talks about her work with joy, her eyes sparkling as she tells me about the achievements she has made so far. “The works exhibited in the gallery belong to artists who share my passion, the same passion that animates me every day. I participate in the most important national art fairs and Gallery 93 also offers a consulting service on the sale value of the works to guarantee a price that is in line with the market,” she tells me. A few years ago Cinzia left a secure job that didn’t give her satisfaction to start a new life in the artistic sector and that choice proved to be a winning one. As we know, audacity is the virtue of the strong.
by NICLA PERINI