Elisa Bertaglia, born in 1983, is an Italian artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY and has been represented by SARAHCROWN since 2016. Bertaglia addresses philosophical themes through an oneiric and eclectic language. She investigates the concept of symbol in contemporaneity exploring the worlds of nature, duality and memory, from both an intimate and shared perspective.
Bertaglia’s new works on precious metals further her focus on the themes of threshold and metamorphosis: the metals, gold, rose gold and copper, reflect the same concept contained within the works in the very nature of the material. The precious metals emerge in their own luster, contrasting the opaque, murky coats of paint. They become not only the background of the painting, but a decisive part of the image with their reflective, iridescent surface.
Most recently, Elisa Bertaglia presented her third solo exhibition ‘The Rest’ at SARAHCROWN, New York, and a two-person exhibition at the Institute for Classical Architecture and Art, New York (2025). In 2024, her work was featured at the Invisible Collection, New York, and at Kiaf Seoul, South Korea, alongside exhibitions such as Curses, Spells and Other Magics, a two-person show at Martina Corbetta Gallery in Giussano (Italy), curated by Gianluca Ranzi, and Fastentuch at San Peter am Perlach in Augsburg (Germany), curated by Martin Ziegelmayr. In 2023, she presented her second solo show ‘A Dance’ at SARAHCROWN, New York, curated by Sarah Corona, and in Les Simulacres at Martina Corbetta Gallery, curated by Rossella Farinotti, as well as presenting work at Residency Unlimited in Brooklyn and the Fattori Museum in Livorno.
Additionally, her work has been shown in galleries, museums, and institutions internationally since 2008, including Palazzo Madama, Turin, Italy; the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Saitama, Japan; the Bronx Museum, NY; the Guggenheim Museum, Venice, Italy; and the Borges Cultural Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Elisa Bertaglia has participated in a range of international residencies that have shaped and expanded her practice across diverse cultural contexts. In 2025, she was in residence at the Institute for Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA) in New York, following earlier engagements in the United States, including Residency Unlimited in Brooklyn (2023), Kunstraum LLC (2022), and the ESKFF residency at MANA Contemporary in Jersey City (2016). Her work has also been deeply informed by residencies in Italy, where she has maintained an ongoing presence. These include Officine Saffi in Milan (2017), Atipografia in Arzignano (2015), curated by Petra Cason and Elena Dal Molin, and Casa Falconieri in Serdiana (2015). Earlier projects such as Progetto Borca – E ultimo venne il Bosco at the former ENI Village in Borca di Cadore (2014), and Dolomiti Contemporanee at the Nuovo Spazio Museum in Casso (2013), further contributed to the development of her interdisciplinary approach.
CV | Publications | Catalogue
Exhibitions/Fairs with the Gallery
The Rest, SARAHCROWN New York | November 2025
In the Studio with Elisa Bertaglia (interview), SARAHCROWN Platform | October 2025
Kiaf Art Fair, booth of SARAHCROWN New York | September 2024
ART IN LOBBIES: Liminal Landscapes, SARAHCROWN, New York | September 2024
Kiaf Art Fair, booth of SARAHCROWN New York | September 2023
A Dance, SARAHCROWN New York | September 2023
INTRODUCING FLAT FILES, SARAHCROWN Gallery, New York | February 2023
LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER, SARAHCROWN, New York | June 2022
HIC SUNT DRACONES, SARAHCROWN, New York | September 2021
The Rest, 35 1/2x25 1/2 in, oil and pencil on canvas, 2025
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The Rest, 12x9 in, oil on peper, 2025
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The Rest, 14 1/2x11 in, oil on canvas, 2025
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The Rest (Tapinu 'e mortu), 51 1/4x39 1/2 in, pencil on canvas, 2025
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A Dance #4, 6x4 in, oil on rose gold, 14kt, 2023
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A Dance #9, 6x4 in, oil on rose gold, 14kt, 2023
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A Dance #2, 6x4 in, oil on rose gold 14 kt, 2023
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Corpo Celeste #1, 2022, Oil on 10k gold plate, 8 x 8 in.
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A Dance #6, 2023, Oil on 14kt rose gold plate, 6 x 4 in.
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A Dance #5, 2023, Oil on 14kt rose gold plate, 6 x 4 in.
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Corpo Celeste, 2022, Oil on rose gold, 6 x 4 in.
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Brambles I, 2022, oil and marker on acid-free paper, 12 x 9 in.
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Brambles II, 2022, oil and marker on acid-free paper, 12 x 9 in.
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Danse Macabre 24, 2022, oil on copper, 7 x 5 in.
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Hic Sunt Dracones, 2020, oil, pastels and graphite on acid-free paper, 12x9 in
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The Dragon and I, 2020, graphite on four overlapped transparent polyester sheets, 9 x 6 in.
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Corpo Celeste, 2022, Oil on rose gold, 6 x 4 in.
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Transitory, 2022, oil on copper, 10 x 8 in.
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Corpo Celeste, 2022, Oil on rose gold, 6 x 4 in.
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Danse Macabre 20, 2022, oil on copper, 10 x 8 in.
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Danse Macabre 23, 2022, oil on copper, 7 x 5 in.
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Corpo Celeste, 2022, Oil on rose gold, 6 x 4 in.
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Installation view, Elisa Bertaglia: Hic Sunt Dracones September 16, 2021 – January 15, 2022.
Hic Sunt Dracones, 2020, oil, charcoal and graphite on canvas, 43.25x35.5 in
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Singing Over the Bones, 2020, oil and graphite on cardboard, 9 x 6.5 in.
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Corpo Celeste, 2022, Oil on rose gold, 6 x 4 in.
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Untitled, 2022, diptych, oil on paper, 12 x 17 in. (12 x 9 in. each)
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Danse Macabre 21, 2022, oil on copper, 7 x 5 in.
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Corpo Celeste, 2022, Oil on rose gold, 6 x 4 in.
Hic Sunt Dracones, 2021, oil and graphite on canvas, 43.25x35.50 in
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The Dragon and I, 2020, graphite on four overlapped transparent polyester sheets, 9 x 6 in.
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Hic Sunt Dracones, 2020, oil, charcoal and graphite on cardboard, 8.5 x 6 in.
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Hic Sunt Dracones, 2020, oil on acid-free paper, 12 x 9 in.
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The Dragon and I, 2020, graphite on four overlapped transparent polyester sheets, 9 x 6 in.
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Hortensias, 2022, Oil on yellow gold plate, 6 x 4 in.
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Hic sunt Dracones, 2020, Oil, charcoal and graphite on acid-free paper, 12 x 9 in.
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Hic sunt Dracones (#1), 2020, oil, charcoal and graphite on acid-free paper, 12 x 9 in.
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A Dance #4, 2023, 6x4 in, oil on rose gold, 14kt, 6 x 4 in.
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A Dance #9, 6x4 in, oil on rose gold, 14kt, 2023
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Enchantment, 2024, oil on engraved 14kt rose-gold plates, 10 x 8 in.
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The Dragon and I (#1), 2024, graphite on overlapped transparent polyester sheets, 23 x 15.25 cm.
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The Dragon and I (#2), 2024, graphite on overlapped transparent polyester sheets, 23x15.25 cm.
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