GROUP EXHIBITION

Inspired by Ian Rosenfeld’s mentorship of emerging artists and collectors, this immersive exhibition charts his unconventional path from collector, to patron, to, eventually, gallery founder. The exhibition weaves together personal objects, artworks, and films. Collectively, they tell the story of how his expansive vision and love for art, culture, and collecting ultimately led to the creation of one of London’s leading contemporary art galleries.

Displayed through a series of chronological rooms spanning his life, each space traces Ian’s journey from culture lover and vinyl collector to filmmaker, Old Masters dealer, and ultimately the founder of a truly original contemporary gallery.

More than an exhibition, visitors will explore rooms that embody Ian’s way of living, spaces that reflect both the intimacy and intensity of a life devoted to art and creative pursuits. The journey begins with a room that recreates his bedroom in Italy, where his early immersion in culture took shape during formative years in Venice, Florence and beyond. From an unmade bed scattered with newspapers and catalogues to half-played records on his favourite turntable, the space captures the creative chaos that fuelled his vision, shaped by the objects that surrounded him.

From this intimate beginning, visitors move into the creative heart of Ian’s world: The Study. Set upon sofas and under soft, cinematic lighting, they are invited to linger among the objects and ideas that shaped his practice. Here, visitors encounter his short film The Doors of Memory (1998), selected for the Venice Film Festival that same year; his prized Vespa in the gallery courtyard; and stacked vinyl records from his first personal collection. At its centre are the Doors of Memory themselves, intricately painted by Francesca Cesati, a close friend and long-time collaborator. With four of these sculptural doors transported from Italy to be displayed for the first time, they serve as both a literal and symbolic threshold between memory and imagination.

Surrounding them are fragments of Ian’s creative process: storyboards and film notes revealing how his evenings often began, with outlines, music, and the beginnings of ideas. Together, these pieces immerse visitors in the rhythm and rituals of Ian’s world, where art and everyday life are continually intertwined.Upstairs, visitors enter a room dedicated to Ian’s formative years as an Old Masters dealer, including his time with co-founder and long-time colleague, Dario Porcini. The space recalls the intimacy of a private museum, richly layered with works by Polidoro da Caravaggio, Simon Vouet, Miguel Estere, and Ercole Procaccini. Just next door, recreating one of Ian’s first exhibitions through discreet peepholes, visitors can glimpse two hauntingly beautiful sculptures by Nicola Samorì, an artist whose process of erasure and distortion engages directly with the legacy of the Old Masters, whilst remaining wholly contemporary in their final execution.

Surrounded by centuries of art and history, Ian’s fascination with Old Masters naturally evolved into a professional pursuit. Ian’s Rooms explores the collector’s mind, revealing how curiosity, connoisseurship, and a dialogue between centuries shaped one extraordinary individual’s approach to art, bridging the professional and the personal with equal passion and precision.

Michael Rosenfeld, Ian’s Brother said:

‘Ian and I often approached art from different angles, yet it was precisely this shared, ever-evolving love of creative dialogue that our richest conversations unfolded. His holy grail was always to live in a way that honoured his extraordinary ideals, what Enrique Brinkmann so perfectly called a ‘serene personal madness’. Ian never aspired to be a gallerist, and the objects he gathered throughout his life built not a curated, but natural collection; but he did have a little magic dust, which manifested in his passion to support and nurture any artist with which he crossed paths.

Ian’s Rooms is not a conclusion but a continuation of his philosophy. It affirms that Ian’s vision and values remain the foundation on which gallery rosenfeld will grow, with his spirit guiding its future and inspiring all that is still to come.’

The journey comes full circle in the final room with the realisation of gallery rosenfeld. Here, ten contemporary artists discovered and championed by Ian are presented: Teodora Axente, Enrique Brinkmann, Keita Miyazaki, Ndidi Emefiele, Cesare Lucchini, Ioana Maria Sisea, Araminta Blue, Riccardo Guarneri, Herbert Golser, and Nicola Samorì. These artists exemplify Ian’s enduring commitment to discovering original voices; across painting and sculpture, abstraction and figuration, unrestricted by geography or borders. Each artist was chosen not for fashion, but out of conviction.

In this exhibition, gallery rosenfeld reaffirms its commitment to carrying forward what Ian built from 2011 and continuing into the future, powered by a passion for originality, genuine relationships, and nurturing artists. For Ian, being a gallerist was never solely about representation; it was an act of stewardship, rooted in trust and his love for engaging with artists in person. Ian’s Rooms reveals more than the founding of a gallery but the spirit of an extraordinary patron, whose presence resonates in every room and with every artist shown - reminding those who enter its doors, that the most powerful galleries are those shaped by a life lived fully and with purpose. Visitors leave with a sense of that enduring spirit: the understanding that the role of a gallerist is one of stewardship, nurturing artists, preserving ideas, and carrying forward creative legacies that continue to shape the cultural landscape.

As part of this commitment, gallery rosenfeld now announces the new annual Ian Rosenfeld Emerging Artist Fund. The £7,500 annual award that will support the practice of early to mid-career artists. In recognition of Ian’s lifelong commitment to originality and his dedication to nurturing emerging talent. More details to be announced.