Frank Bernarducci

Frank Bernarducci (born September 23, 1959) is a New York City art dealer and curator. He is currently the owner of Bernarducci Gallery Chelsea located at 529 West 20 Street in New York, NY. Bernarducci began exhibiting Graffiti art in the 1980s in the East Village while director of Frank Bernarducci Gallery. Bernarducci continues to curate exhibitions featuring emerging and seasoned artists. His Gallery is well known for exhibiting realist and Photorealist art.

Bernarducci attended School of Visual Arts from 1979 to 1982 and received his bachelor's degree in the Media Arts, specifically graphic design and advertising; working as an advertising art director while still at school. While at SVA, Bernarducci minored in film. He was living in a loft on east 17th street off Union Square, a half block from Andy Warhol’s factory. In 1979 Mr. Bernarducci serendipitously met Mr. Warhol who agreed to a cameo appearance in his first student film. Needless to say, this caused a sensation when screened at the school’s amphitheater. While still in college in the early 80s, Mr. Bernarducci was a frequent denizen at art openings in the east village as well as at downtown nightclubs, most notably, Mudd Club, Pyramid, Kamikaze, Area and Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager’s, Palladium. He and good friend Mark Moskin curated painting exhibitions at some of these late night venues.

Bernarducci’s art career was largely influenced by his father, Frank, Sr. who was a painter and a student of the Hans Hofmann School of Art. Frank Sr. was also a founding member of the Phoenix Gallery, established in 1958 among the 10th street co-op scene at the height of the abstract expressionist movement known as The New York School.

In 1984 Bernarducci held the first art exhibition in his loft, curated by Steven Kaplan and featuring a dozen east village painters including David Wojnarowicz. Encouraged by the success of this exhibition, Bernarducci followed in his father's footsteps, opening the Frank Bernarducci Gallery. In subsequent exhibitions, other notable artists’ works that could be seen on view included Ronnie Cutrone, Keith Haring, Daze and Martin Wong.

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