The New Futures Production Fund Links the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation and NYC’s New Museum

Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, the Italian collector recognized for her early championing of contemporary artists and institutions, is launching an annual initiative in collaboration with the New Museum aimed at bolstering ambitious contemporary art production. The New Futures Production Fund will commission a major new work each year, premiering first at the New Museum in New York City before traveling to Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin. The project formalizes a partnership between two geographically disparate institutions that have long shared a commitment to experimentation and exchange.

Italian artist Diego Marcon is the fund’s first awardee, and his commission will debut next year. Known for pushing the boundaries of cinematic narration through sound, space and poetry, Marcon has already received support from Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s foundation, which co-produced his work Krapfen. That work premiered at the Renaissance Society in Chicago on September 13, 2025, and was co-commissioned with Lafayette Anticipations, the New Museum, the Renaissance Society and The Vega Foundation, with further support from Sadie Coles HQ in London and Galerie Buchholz in Berlin, Cologne, and New York. Marcon’s upcoming presentation will be his first solo museum exhibition in New York City, following solo shows at Kunstverein Hamburg and Kunsthalle Wien in 2024, Kunsthalle Basel in 2023 and participation in major biennials, including the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022.

The launch of the fund coincides with the reopening of the New Museum later this fall, following a significant expansion and renovation led by artistic director Massimiliano Gioni. The event is already generating anticipation in the global art world, positioning the museum to reintroduce itself with renewed energy and scope.

Based in Turin, Sandretto Re Rebaudengo has been a defining presence in the international art scene since the 1990s. Her foundation has long prioritized collaboration, commissioning and production as central to its mission. Beyond her work in Italy, she sits on the New Museum’s Leadership Council and holds influential roles with MoMA’s International Council in New York, Tate’s International Council in London, the Contemporary Art Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Board of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, the Board of Directors of Lyon’s École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, and the Advisory Committee of Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum. Her collection includes around 1,500 contemporary artworks and 3,000 photographs, reflecting a wide-ranging and inquisitive vision.

In a recent conversation with Observer, she stressed the urgency of supporting ambitious artistic production, particularly during a period of market recalibration. “Many struggle to support and find the resources to make more ambitious works that are not otherwise produced in the commercial setting,” she noted.

A collaborative spirit has guided the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo since its inception. “From the very beginning, our mission has been to support and promote artists — not only through collecting, but also by producing, commissioning, and realizing new works, creating concrete opportunities for them to present their practice,” Sandretto Re Rebaudengo said more recently. “We always sought to build relationships with museums and art centers both in Italy and internationally, because I firmly believe that sharing and fostering synergies are essential tools for spreading the Foundation’s vision.”

The partnership with the New Museum reflects this approach and builds on a long-standing relationship. “Since 2008, I have been a member of the museum’s International Leadership Council, and over the years, I have admired its extraordinary commitment to supporting international artistic research,” she added. “When the idea of developing a joint project emerged, it felt like a natural evolution—perfectly aligned with the Foundation’s mission and with the desire to strengthen the dialogue between Italy and the United States. I would also like to thank Massimiliano Gioni, whom I have known and respected for many years; his vision and energy were key to making this collaboration possible.”

The goal of the New Futures Production Fund is straightforward: to support ambitious works that experiment with new languages and techniques, offering artists the resources to expand their practice. Selection criteria focus on identifying artists whose work combines rigor with imagination, speaks universally and remains distinctively personal. “I am especially pleased that the first artist chosen is Diego Marcon, whose work I have followed and admired for years—an author who unites theoretical precision with visionary strength,” she concluded. “His work inaugurates this journey with a video piece, a medium that I have been particularly attached to since the 1990s, when collecting video art was still considered an unconventional choice.”

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