GABRIELLA IMPERATORI-PENN
B. 1963
Switzerland
ABOUT THE ARTIST
With her busy and thriving advertising and editorial work, Gabriella found it critical to maintain a balance and always kept her focus on the fine arts. She found her “sanctuary" in landscape and nature photography, which is the center point of her fine artwork.
On one of her journeys to Greece Gabriella Imperatori-Penn fell in love with the stone beaches of Chios. The water upon the stones made the most amazingly calming sounds which were emotionally moving and inspiring. In 2009 she photographed these stones in the studio with a focus that felt like a Buddhist meditation expressing that she saw each and every stone as its own peaceful universe or planet.
In the long span of her career, Gabriella Imperatori-Penn has worked for some of the most influential magazines such as American Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, Departures, Elle Decor, O, The Oprah Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, and Architectural Digest as well as some of the most prestigious advertising clients such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Knoll, L’Oreal, Lancôme and Cartier.
Her work is influenced by her very admired Irving Penn, Sarah Moon, who takes pictures that are from another mindset, Sally Mann who she feels is so very brave and Lynn Davis who explores the world from every corner.
In March 2019, photography by the artist was selected for inclusion in a showcase of female artists-to-watch organized by an international art magazine, Art She Says, including the primary promotional image. Recently, Gabriella's photography was selected for inclusion in the upcoming "Heart Goes Nine" exhibition at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts curated by art historian, J. Sybylla Smith. Gabriella Imperatori-Penn’s work is in numerous private collections. Now living between New York and St. Barth, Gabriella has been working on an ongoing series of Moonscapes & Plant Studies since 2010.
Awards & Honors
2020 First prize @ Heart Goes Nine (juried) hosted by the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts curated by art historian, J. Sybylla Smith
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Winter Solstice, Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA
2020 Flowers by Gabriella Imperatori-Penn, Space Gallery St Barth, Online
2020 Cabinet of Curiosities by Gabriella Imperatori-Penn, Space Gallery St Barth, Online
2020 Architectural Digest Design Show, New York, NY
2020 Luminous Stones & Shadow Stones curated by Kristina Huntington, New York, NY
Group Exhibitions
2020 Hearts Gone Wild curated by J. Sybylla Smith, Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, RI
2019 Art She Says, Space Gallery St Barth, New York, NY
2019 St Barth in the City, Space Gallery St Barth, New York, NY
2017 Photo London 2017, Steven Kasher Gallery, London, UK
2017 An Introduction to Photography, Space Gallery St Barth, Gustavia, St Barthélemy
2016 Summer Selections, Steven Kasher Gallery, New York, NY
Press & Publications
2020Nature; A Love Affair, Zion, 22 December 2020