# Gabriele Basilico artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/gabriele-basilico/
Profile generated: 2026-05-14T18:19:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1944-08-12
- Death date: 2013-02-13
- Nationality: Italian
- Movements: Contemporary landscape and architectural photography
- Common media: gelatin silver prints (black-and-white photographs), color photography

## About Gabriele Basilico

Gabriele Basilico (1944–2013) was an Italian photographer and trained architect whose work transformed the observation of urban and industrial landscapes into a rigorous photographic practice. Born in Milan and based there throughout his career, he graduated with a degree in architecture in 1973 before turning fully to photography. He famously described himself as "a measurer of space," an apt summary of a practice rooted in systematic documentation of cities, buildings, and the transformation of the built environment. Working predominantly in black and white, Basilico built an extensive body of work examining Milan, Beirut, and other cities scarred or reshaped by industry, war, or modernization. His photographs are held in major institutional collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, cementing his significance in the history of contemporary European photography.

## Common works and media

Basilico's most commonly encountered works are gelatin silver prints depicting urban landscapes, architectural facades, industrial zones, and city panoramas. Series focused on Milan's periphery, post-war Beirut, and Mediterranean coastal cities are well represented in the secondary market. Later work includes color photographs. Print sizes range from modest exhibition formats to large-scale gallery presentations. Collectors may also encounter monographs and exhibition catalogues published during his lifetime, which serve as reference material rather than original works.

## Market and appraisal context

Gabriele Basilico's photographs appear at auction primarily within the Photography category. Key factors influencing appraisal include the specific series or city documented (Milan and Beirut subjects are particularly notable), the print medium (gelatin silver prints dominate his output), edition number and size, print date relative to the original exposure, gallery provenance, and condition. Institutional recognition by museums such as MoMA supports ongoing collector interest. Because his oeuvre spans several decades with varying edition practices, collectors should verify edition details and provenance for each lot. Consult dedicated auction databases for comparable realized prices.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Gabriele Basilico, identity and biographical data are grounded in authority files from Getty ULAN, VIAF, the Library of Congress, the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), Wikidata, and museum collection records from the Museum of Modern Art. Market observations are general guidance and do not constitute appraisals.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3094055
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriele_Basilico
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500026577
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/29546204/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79149872
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/39160
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/215994