Tommaso, Art Globetrotter

His grandfather was an art dealer, so a passion for art is in his blood. But for Tommaso Amedeo Calabro, a 26 year-old Feltre native and 2012 Economics and Management for Arts, Culture and Communication graduate, his debut is truly early and his career is already at a turning point. He will debut as co-director of a gallery of contemporary art in London, in the exclusive Mayfair neighborhood, on 9 June. "It's where I've always wanted to work, but I have to admit that I was lucky to find the right people at the right time." After graduation and internships in Istanbul (Elgiz Museum) and at Sotheby's in Milan, he made his first important decision. "I looked at the resumes of people emerging in my sector and I saw that a good calling card was a two-year Master at the Courtauld Institute in London, studying art history, along with an experience at the Biennale in Venice, because in my sector artistic skills need to be at the same level as management skills," he explains. "This is what the market requests from art dealers these days."

The role of manager-art dealer is very different from when his grandfather was working, "when skills were basically artistic, there wasn't any academic education like I had during my Bachelor, for example. I would say that people in my generation have an advantage because they can see art from more than just one perspective." This advantage allowed Tommaso to make quick progress. "After London, I came back to Italy, becoming coordinator of the contemporary art department at Sotheby's in Milan and teaching at Bocconi as an assistant to Silvia Bagdadli." But he didn't stay long, the call of London – "world capital of art along with New York and Hong Kong" – was strong. So last September, Tommaso enrolled in a new Master in Art Management at King's College, working part-time at Sotheby's. "London is full of galleries, in the area where I work alone, there are 70 or 80, focusing mostly on contemporary art. But Milan is also abuzz, with rapid growth."

Tommaso sees this buzz for himself when he comes back once or twice a month to teach "the art market" right here in Bocconi. "Young people are very interested in this sector, because it may be the only one that combines aesthetic value with monetary value." The new adventure Tommaso will undertake with the Nahmad family is an ambitious one. For now there is a bit of secrecy: "We're in a strategic location, near the Royal Academy. There's a lot of competition, but we're aiming to stand out by working in collaboration with emerging artists and with other artists who are more established."