Perspectives from Gallerists. Interview with Thereza Pedrosa from Thereza Pedrosa Gallery

Founded in 2019 in the medieval town of Asolo, Italy, by Elinor Garnero and Thereza Pedrosa, Thereza Pedrosa Gallery was born from a desire to explore the interconnections between artistic disciplines, where jewellery, objects, painting, and design are understood as facets of a shared language.
The gallery reflects a way of living with art, where works are not observed from a distance, but experienced as part of daily life.

In this interview, Thereza Pedrosa reflects on her path and on a curatorial approach shaped by proximity to artworks, where jewellery is experienced not at a distance but through use, movement, and daily life.


With your artistic family background, could you share what motivated you to found Thereza Pedrosa Gallery in 2019?
Thereza Pedrosa: As you already suggest, I was born and raised in an artistic environment. From an early age, I was drawn to visual languages: art, design, photography. I still remember attending an evening course in analog photography at twelve years old; it feels like another era now.
At seventeen, I began spending time in my father’s studio, creating my first silver pieces. When I later chose my academic path, I knew I wanted to work in the art world, but not as an artist. I was interested in understanding, contextualizing, and supporting artistic practice.

I studied Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, completing both my BA and MA with a focus on contemporary art. My formation naturally led toward curatorial and art historical work, as well as gallery practice.

Contemporary jewellery entered as a very personal passion, and over time it became the field in which I could most clearly position my voice. Founding the gallery was not a single decision, but the moment in which different paths quietly aligned.


Thereza Pedrosa Gallery, via Canova 323, Asolo, Italy. Photo by Thereza Pedrosa.


Your curatorial direction embraces a cross-disciplinary approach, yet contemporary jewellery seems to remain at its core, expanding toward painting and objects. For someone unfamiliar with the field but curious to learn, how would you define Thereza Pedrosa Gallery?
Thereza Pedrosa Gallery reflects both my personal sensibility and my way of living with art.
I grew up in a house where artworks were not set apart from life, they were part of it. We did not simply look at them; we lived alongside them. That experience shaped my understanding of what art can be.
Today, I carry this forward. For me, art is not something to be observed at a distance—it is something to inhabit.

Within this perspective, contemporary jewellery occupies a unique position. It is the only artistic medium that fully enters the sphere of the body. It moves with you, responds to your gestures, invites interaction, and opens a dialogue with others.
It does not remain in front of you—it becomes part of how you move through the world.

The gallery reflects this approach. While jewellery remains central, I do not treat it as an isolated category. Many of the artists I work with move naturally between painting, drawing, sculpture, objects, and jewellery. Their thinking is fluid, and I believe the presentation should be as well.
When I choose to represent an artist, I am interested in their entire artistic language—not a fragment of it. This allows for a deeper connection and a more coherent understanding of their work.


Thereza Pedrosa Gallery, October 2025, during the exhibition The Open Eye-jewelry by Ramon Puig Cuyas, Lluis Comin, Silvia Walz and Judy McCaig. On the walls paintings by Beppe Kessler. Murano glass by Wolfgang Mussgnug. Photo by Max Barbot.


As one of the known contemporary jewellery galleries in Italy, located in a small town, how do you target your audience?
Thereza Pedrosa Gallery is located in the heart of Asolo, a small medieval town with a very particular character. It is a place that invites a slower, more attentive way of looking.
This context is not a limitation; it is an alignment.
We have a strong base of collectors connected to the region, but equally important is the international audience that comes to Asolo. It is not mass tourism, but a more intentional kind of presence. People who are searching for places, objects, and experiences that carry meaning.
This resonates closely with what we do.
Alongside this, our international network is essential. Through fairs, collaborations, and our online platform, the gallery extends far beyond its physical location, allowing us to remain both rooted and connected.


As a physical and active gallery participating in international events such as Schmuck Week Fair and the last Obsessed Jewellery Week, how do you view the role of these events in your practice and network?
My practice extends beyond the gallery. I work as a curator, writer, and art historian, and much of this work happens in a very focused, often solitary context. 
For this reason, moments like Schmuck Week Fair are particularly meaningful. They bring together, for a brief time, the entire field: artists, collectors, curators, institutions, publishers.
What I value most is not only visibility, but exchange. Conversations, encounters, and the possibility of seeing how others are thinking and working. 

It is one of the rare moments when the field gathers enough density to see itself clearly. 

There is an intensity to it that I find both grounding and energizing. It allows me to step out of my own rhythm, to recalibrate, and to return to my work with renewed clarity.


Thereza Pedrosa Gallery during Munich Jewellery Week 2026, special private event with Peter Bauhuis in his studio. In the photo, Peter Bauhuis and Thereza Pedrosa. Photo courtesy of Thereza Pedrosa Gallery.


You often collaborate with Quittenbaum Gallery in Munich. Could you tell us more about your relationship with other galleries? In your view, what is important to create a strong and healthy model of collaboration between galleries? What would you recommend?
For three years, I collaborated with Quittenbaum Auction House and Quittenbaum Gallery, thanks in large part to my relationship with Claudia Quittenbaum, for whom I have deep admiration and gratitude.

Looking ahead, I am currently developing a collaboration with Pistachios Gallery in Chicago. Together with Jessica Armstrong, we are curating a travelling exhibition that will open in Chicago in autumn 2026, continue in Munich during Jewellery Week 2027, and conclude in Asolo in May 2027.
I believe that collaboration is not simply beneficial; it is necessary.

The conditions in which galleries operate today are very different from those of even a decade ago, and require new forms of thinking. Working in isolation is becoming increasingly fragile. 
That said, collaboration is not only about sharing visibility or resources. It requires alignment in values and in vision. Not identical programs, but a shared understanding of purpose.
The most meaningful collaborations I have experienced are those where dialogue is open, where ideas, processes, and even uncertainties can be exchanged without reservation.

At that point, collaboration is no longer an agreement. It becomes a way of thinking together. 


As gallerists are active in both the primary and secondary markets. How do you see the collaboration between auction houses and galleries?
Gallerists are often associated with both the primary and, at times, the secondary market. However, many galleries operate exclusively within the primary sphere—supporting artists through long-term research, development, and representation. This is precisely where auction houses play a fundamental and complementary role.

Historically, the relationship between galleries and auction houses has often been framed as competitive, even conflicting. I find this interpretation limiting. Rather than opposing positions, they are part of the same ecosystem, each contributing in distinct ways to how value is constructed, understood, and sustained over time.

Galleries nurture artists’ practices and build context around their work, while auction houses offer a different form of visibility and continuity within the secondary market. When these roles are clearly understood, the potential for dialogue becomes not only possible, but meaningful.

My experience with Quittenbaum, particularly during Munich Jewellery Week, was a very positive first step in this direction. It showed how a relationship grounded in mutual respect and clarity can open new perspectives, benefiting not only the institutions involved, but also the artists and the field more broadly.

There is still significant space to further develop these connections. I believe that fostering a more open and collaborative approach will be an important part of how the field continues to evolve.


Perfect Match, curated exhibition by Thereza Pedrosa Gallery and Quittenbaum Gallery during Munich Jewellery Week 2025. In the photo, works by Ruudt Peters and Beppe Kessler. Photo courtesy of Thereza Pedrosa Gallery.


You have an online presence through publications in Art Aurea, Instagram, AJF, Financial Times and Klimt02, helping to expand the gallery’s international visibility. How do you use this online network? Do you think there’s an ecosystem of collectors that can support an online market?
Thank you for your kind observation.
Yes, there is an ecosystem of collectors who support the online market. In today’s context, a strong digital presence is essential.
At the same time, it is not sufficient on its own.
If we want this field to continue to grow, we cannot rely only on existing collectors. We need to actively create new audiences.
This means developing initiatives that go beyond the immediate field: exhibitions, publications, collaborations that allow new publics to encounter the work.
Collectors are not simply found; they are formed, over time, through exposure, curiosity, and trust.
For me, this is a central responsibility.


What are your curatorial guidelines and methods in selecting artists to create and build exhibitions?
There are criteria that remain constant across all contexts: artistic integrity, a strong individual language, technical awareness, and a clear relationship between concept and execution.
Beyond that, the approach shifts depending on the framework.
Within the gallery, my personal sensibility plays a visible role. It contributes to the identity of the program. In institutional contexts or juries, I take a different position, focusing instead on coherence with the curatorial premise rather than personal preference.
This flexibility is essential. It allows each project to be approached on its own terms, without imposing a fixed lens.


Presentation of the book Bruno Pedrosa. Between Worlds, published by Arnoldsche and edited by Thereza Pedrosa. Presented at Quittenbaum Gallery during Munich Jewellery Week. In the photo: Claudia Quittenbaum, Dirk Allgaier, Thereza Pedrosa, Bruno Pedrosa, Elinor Garnero, Helen Drutt. Photo courtesy of Thereza Pedrosa Gallery.


Presentation of the book Babetto. The Entity of Being at Archivio Negroni during Milano Book Week 2022. Published by Arnoldsche Art Publishers. Authors: Thereza Pedrosa, Fred Jahn, Friedhelm Mennekes, and Andrea Nante. In the photo: Andrea Nante (Director of the Museo Diocesano in Padua), Dirk Allgaier (publisher of Arnoldsche Art Publishers), Giampaolo Babetto, Thereza Pedrosa, and Eliana Negroni (President of AGC Associazione Gioiello Contemporaneo).​


What are the next highlights planned for Thereza Pedrosa Gallery? Will we see you again at Schmuck Munich 2027 or at other upcoming events?
There are always several projects in development. 
Following recent activities—including a collaborative experience during Obsessed Jewellery Festival, two solo exhibitions, and a private event during Schmuck Week Fair—we are now preparing for the coming months.
In April, we will present a collaboration with fashion designer Nadia Dalla Valle. This will be followed by the group exhibition Borderlines of Matter, with Ela Bauer, Ute Kolar, Karin Roy Andersson, Federica Sala, and Alice Biolo.
Later in the year, we will open a solo exhibition by Gigi Mariani and host the Preziosa Young Award exhibition, alongside several publication projects to which I am contributing as an author.
At the same time, we are finalizing our 2027 program, which will include our participation in Schmuck Munich, both with a gallery presentation and the collaborative project with Pistachios Gallery in Chicago.



Why Perspectives from Gallerists?
In the realm of artistic creation within art jewellery and contemporary crafts, Klimt02 aims to serve as a hub for promotion, discussion, and—most importantly—connection, highlighting the interconnectedness among all key players. Beyond showcasing work, we strive to amplify the voices committed to building this discipline as a recognised market within the art scene. That’s why gallerists’ perspectives matter: their day-to-day experience offers an essential, informed view of how the market actually works, its realities, and what the field needs to grow with integrity.