ZEGNA Partners With Art Basel To Bring A Century-Old Artistic Legacy To The Global Stage

ZEGNA has announced a multi-year global partnership with Art Basel, signalling a new era for the Italian luxury house. It’s one rooted not in reinvention, but in revelation.

For over a century, ZEGNA has quietly cultivated a relationship with art, embedding it into its landscapes, factories, and identity. Now, with the visibility of the world’s leading contemporary art fair, that legacy is stepping into the light.

The partnership reaffirms ZEGNA’s commitment to supporting artists and institutions that explore the intersection of creativity, community, and nature.

Globally, the brand’s art legacy includes bespoke wool trophies by artists such as Graham Sutherland, Not Vital, and Kiki Smith, and installations across its retail and headquarters spaces—from Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Woolen—The Reinstated Apple in Milan to works by William Kentridge and Ettore Spalletti in stores worldwide.

Now, as Official Partner of Art Basel across all four of its fairs—Basel, Miami Beach, Paris, and Hong Kong—ZEGNA will curate experiences that bridge art, design, and responsible entrepreneurship.

At the center of this collaboration is Visible, a project initiated by Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto and Fondazione Zegna. The initiative supports socially engaged art through a pioneering fellowship model, a natural fit for a brand that views art as action rather than ornament.

But ZEGNA’s relationship with art isn’t new. It began in the 1920s, when founder Ermenegildo Zegna commissioned local artists to transform Trivero and the original wool mill into spaces that harmonized industry with beauty. 

The effort was more than aesthetic—it was philosophical. Monumental staircases, fountains, friezes, and portraits became part of a larger vision that industry could be inseparable from culture.

Over the years, ZEGNA continued commissioning works by artists like Daniel Buren, Dan Graham, and Roman Signer, not for commercial gain, but for authenticity—works that “quietly transformed the Oasi Zegna landscape into a living museum.” To reinforce the partnership, Art Basel’s Director of Fairs and Exhibition Platforms, Vincenzo De Bellis, will join the Visible Steering Committee. “I’m honoured to join the ‘Visible’ Steering Committee and deepen our shared commitment to art as a driver of social and environmental change,” he said. “Through this partnership with ZEGNA and Cittadellarte–Fondazione Pistoletto, we’re supporting artists who use their practice to address today’s most urgent challenges and shape more resilient futures.”

Gildo Zegna, Chairman and CEO of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, echoed this shared ethos, "For over a century, our family has believed in the power of art to elevate places, enrich lives, and shape culture. This partnership with Art Basel and Cittadellarte is a natural evolution of that belief—a way to honour our legacy while looking forward. At ZEGNA, we see art not as embellishment, but as an agent of change. By supporting socially engaged artists through the ‘Visible’ project, we’re reinforcing our commitment to a future where creativity, community, and responsibility can thrive together.”

The roots of Visible run deep. Michelangelo Pistoletto’s father, Ettore Pistoletto Olivero, was one of the first artists commissioned by Ermenegildo Zegna. The early collaboration seeded a vision that art should be integrated into everyday life—not separated from it.

This June, during Art Basel in Basel, ZEGNA will present the recipients of the 2025 Visible Situated Fellowships, highlighting artists and collectives whose work confronts today’s most pressing environmental and social issues. The event will also honour Michelangelo Pistoletto and his Nobel Peace Prize nomination, underscoring a life devoted to art as a transformative force.

For ZEGNA, the partnership with Art Basel isn’t about stepping into the art world—it’s about continuing a legacy that’s been there all along. As the brand affirms, “the change we make in the world today will be the legacy we leave behind tomorrow.”