Ileana Sonnabend
Ileana Sonnabend (1914-2007) was one of the most influential gallerists and champions of
contemporary art in the 20th century.
Ileana Sonnabend at her desk at Galerie Ileana Sonnabend, Paris, circa 1965.
Born Ileana Schapira in Bucharest, Romania, she developed a lifelong passion for art that would shape both the American and European cultural landscapes. Moving to New York in the 1940s, she became deeply involved in the emerging postwar art scene, first alongside her former husband, Leo Castelli, and later with her husband, Michael Sonnabend.
In 1962, Sonnabend opened her first gallery in Paris, introducing groundbreaking American movements—most notably Pop Art—to European audiences. When she established the Sonnabend Gallery in New York in 1971, she continued her pioneering approach, presenting avant-garde work ranging from Conceptual Art and Minimalism to Arte Povera and Neo-Geo. Her discerning eye and unwavering support helped launch and sustain the careers of many of the era’s most important artists, including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, and numerous European innovators.
Celebrated for her insight, conviction, and international vision, Ileana Sonnabend built a legacy that continues to define the trajectory of contemporary art. Through her galleries, her collection, and her decades-long commitment to artists, she reshaped the global art world and remains a towering figure in its history.
CURRENT
On Saturday, November 29, 2025, the new museum of contemporary art, Sonnabend Collection Mantova—one of the most important private collections of the twentieth century—opened in Mantova’s Palazzo della Ragione.
