ZEGNA has officially entered a global, multi-year partnership with Art Basel, expanding its ongoing commitment to supporting artists and institutions whose work engages with culture, nature, and community. The collaboration brings renewed visibility to ZEGNA’s artistic philosophy and opens the next chapter in its quiet yet deliberate support of the arts.
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ZEGNA’s connection to art began over a century ago with its founder, Ermenegildo Zegna, who believed that beauty and creativity belonged in everyday life. In the 1920s, he commissioned artists like Ettore Pistoletto Olivero and Otto Maraini to enhance the town of Trivero and the original wool mill at what is now Oasi Zegna, a 100 km² nature park in the Italian Alps. These early projects turned industrial architecture into cultural spaces, with staircases, fountains, and murals enriching both the environment and the community.
Over time, ZEGNA continued to commission artworks, without spectacle or branding, from names such as Daniel Buren, Dan Graham, and Roman Signer. These installations were selected based on their alignment with ZEGNA’s values rather than commercial recognition. The tradition extended globally, with artists like Graham Sutherland, Not Vital, and Kiki Smith creating custom wool trophies, a nod to the company’s expertise in textile innovation. Art is present across ZEGNA’s physical spaces, from Milan headquarters to boutiques worldwide, where works by Michelangelo Pistoletto, William Kentridge, Mimmo Jodice, and others are quietly integrated.
The new partnership with Art Basel serves to widen the scope of this artistic legacy. ZEGNA will now take part in all four Art Basel fairs, Basel, Miami Beach, Paris, and Hong Kong, offering curated programs that explore the intersections of design, creativity, and responsible enterprise. Central to this collaboration is “Visible,” an initiative launched by Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto and Fondazione Zegna. “Visible” supports socially engaged art through a forward-thinking fellowship model, and its presence at Art Basel will now have a global stage.
To reinforce the alliance, Vincenzo De Bellis, Director of Fairs and Exhibition Platforms at Art Basel, will join the Visible Steering Committee. “I’m honoured to join the ‘Visible’ Steering Committee and deepen our shared commitment to art as a driver of social and environmental change,” De Bellis shared. “Through this partnership with ZEGNA and Cittadellarte–Fondazione Pistoletto, we’re supporting artists who use their practice to address today’s most urgent challenges and shape more resilient futures.”
For ZEGNA CEO Gildo Zegna, the partnership is both a continuation and an expansion of a generational belief. “At ZEGNA, we see art not as embellishment, but as an agent of change,” he said. “By supporting socially engaged artists through the ‘Visible’ project, we’re reinforcing our commitment to a future where creativity, community, and responsibility can thrive together.”
The connection runs deeper than collaboration. Michelangelo Pistoletto’s father, Ettore Pistoletto Olivero, was one of the first artists to work with Ermenegildo Zegna in Trivero. This longstanding relationship reflects a shared conviction: art should exist not apart from daily life, but within it.
This June, during Art Basel in Basel, ZEGNA will unveil the 2025 recipients of the Visible Situated Fellowships. These selected artists and collectives use their practice to engage with the urgent environmental and social topics shaping contemporary life. The event will also honor Michelangelo Pistoletto and his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, celebrating his work as a pioneer in using art for public and societal transformation.
With this new global platform, ZEGNA moves from quiet patron to visible partner. The Art Basel collaboration doesn’t shift the brand’s values; it simply gives them new ground to grow.
wow zegna is keeping up !