Much of the art world revolves around questions of value, not just in terms of appraisals and price tags, but also: what is worth your time in These Times, and your energy? , your attention and, yes, your hard-earned money?

What calculations do you make to determine the meaning and value of something? What moves you? What enriches your life? In this new series, we ask individuals from the art world and beyond about the assessments they make on a personal level.

Spanish architect Miguel Quismondo is a patient precisionist. These virtues in tandem come to the fore in Italian Art MagazineA 20,000 square foot museum designed by the architect and nestled in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Co-founded by collectors Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu as a space to present an early Arte Povera collection, Magazzino, which means “warehouse” in Italian, has become a local artistic pilgrimage to New York since its opening in 2017. visitors are often as impressed by the unparalleled collection of post-war Italian art as by the building and surrounding grounds. Quismondo, who has worked in collaboration with Olnick-Spanu since 2003, has adopted the values ​​of Arte Povera in his creations, reusing the materials available from the property, including an existing warehouse, erected in 1964. Similarly, the expansion used simple materials, mostly concrete and glass, to a simple yet striking effect.

Quismondo’s work with Magazzino hasn’t stopped since, and the museum’s footprint is about to get a little bigger. In September, the museum will unveil a highly anticipated second building, the Robert Olnick Pavilion. This expansion is the first collaboration between Quismondo and famous Spanish architect AAlberto Campo Baeza, who was Quismondo’s teacher. This new building will provide an additional 13,000 square feet of exhibition space for the museum, allowing for temporary exhibits, as well as a multi-purpose hall with auditorium capabilities, a cafe and bookstore, and galleries dedicated to the decorative arts. , ceramics and jewelry. Next month, Magazzino will host the official launch party for Upstate Art Weekend (July 21-24), where visitors may catch a glimpse of the expansion being finished.

When Quismondo takes a rare moment for himself, he can be found returning to Barcelona, ​​catching up with his family group chat, or even sketching out his own dream abode upstate. What won’t he do? Waiting for a table in a restaurant.

Ahead of the busy summer ahead, we spoke with Quismondo about what he values ​​about art and life — and why.

Magazzino Italian Art, Cold Spring, New York, 2017. Photo: Marco Anelli.

What’s the last thing you splurged on?
A plane ticket to BCN.

What are you saving for?
I hope to one day be able to design and build a country house for myself.

What would you buy if you found $100?
Lunch for my team.

What makes you feel like a million bucks?
A haircut and trim from my favorite hair salon.

Valentina Ornaghi and Claudio Prestinari, Mattino. Courtesy of Galleria Continua.

What do you think is your greatest asset?
My patience.

What do you appreciate most in a work of art?
I like to find elements that relate to my architectural work: clean shapes, recognizable geometries, balanced proportions and a serene color palette.

Who is an emerging artist worthy of everyone’s attention?
Valentina Ornaghi and Claudio Prestinari. They are a couple from Milan with a background in industrial design and architecture who started working together in 2009. I met them at their first exhibition in New York in 2016. Their work has a strong conceptual approach and attention to materials and their handling. I’m currently collaborating with them on a large site-specific project in the Bush Terminal in Brooklyn, sponsored by New York City’s Percent for Art program.

Construction behind the scenes at Magazzino. Photo: Marco Anelli.

Who is an unknown artist who has not yet received his due?

Extraordinary photographer Marco Anelli. He published Magazzino Building, which tells the story of the construction of the museum under his very personal eye. He is now documenting the construction of the new Robert Olnick Pavilion with a wilder lens, creating an incredible body of work that I hope to see on display in the near future.

What do you think is the most overrated thing in the art world?
Claim.

Courtesy of Miguel Quismondo.

What is your most valuable asset?
An old mechanical winding watch that I bought when I started working.

What was your best investment?
My team of collaborators. I couldn’t do anything without them.

What is something small that means the world to you?
My family group cat.

Construction behind the scenes at Magazzino. Photo: Marco Anelli.

What’s not worth the hype?

While waiting to eat in a restaurant in NYC… There is always another place with an open table and good food!

What do you think is a good cause?
Timeless design.

What do you aspire to?
Feel happy.

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