Leonardo Barberini

Having finished my Master's degree in ‘History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia’ at the

School of Oriental and African Studies, I am certain that I want to pursue this field of study at a

more professional level, focusing on International art fairs. My MA was focused on

Modern and Contemporary Asian Art, and thus, I gained a well-rounded background in Japanese,

Korean and Chinese art. Moreover, I graduated from Università La Sapienza in Rome, with a BA

in 'Studies in Art History'. My Italian BA was interdisciplinary, and I studied Renaissance, Greek

and Roman Archaeology, Byzantine, Baroque and Modern and Contemporary Western art.

My father is Italian, and my mother is Japanese. I am thus bilingual and grew up being exposed to both cultures, studying in Italy but spending all my school holidays in Japan. Thanks to my background, I can perceive the cultural connections between modern Western art and Japan, as well as Western and Eastern cultures. Therefore, my personal background and academic career would be a crucial asset to Frieze, which might be looking for an intern who is a point of contact between Frieze regional offices in London, New York and Berlin.

I have done the ‘work experience’ in Christie's London's Impressionist and Modern Art

department. This experience has been truly enriching, showing me matters such as teamwork,

dealing with clients, cataloguing, research activity, specialists and interns’ multitasking

professionalism, and shipment and payments issues. I have also had the opportunity to intern with

art galleries such as Joost van den Bergh and Peter Finer in London, acting as a gallery assistant,

taking care of customers, and conducting research using my Japanese language skills. On the one

hand, my position at Joost Van den Bergh has involved me in many tasks, such as supervising

restorers, selling pieces, managing clients, storages and social media, customer care assistance,

translating Japanese texts, writing and editing catalogues, cataloguing Japanese artefacts and

crafts, and researching contemporary Japanese painters, craftsmen and artworks. On the other

hand, I researched and analysed Japanese suits of armour and helmets during my internship at

Peter Finer. Being immersed in modern and contemporary artefacts and amidst highly competent

art professionals has been an incredible experience. Ultimately, I did my last professional

experience as an assistant viewing at Lyon and Turnbull auction house related to a significant

Chinese and Japanese art sale in May. This position has involved in crucial matters such as setting

up the gallery space, assisting clients at the showroom of the auction sale, bidding telephone,

unpacking and putting items in cabinets, labelling items up, helping to hang pictures, giving me

a crucial practical background. Lastly, I have recorded Colonna Palace’s Japanese audio guides 

in Rome. I dream of a career in the art world as a gallerist, possibly bridging Italian and Japanese 

cultures that, despite appearance, share commonalities.

I have done the ‘work experience’ in Christie's London's Impressionist and Modern Art

department. This experience has been truly enriching, showing me matters such as teamwork,

dealing with clients, cataloguing, research activity, specialists and interns’ multitasking

professionalism, and shipment and payments issues. I have also had the opportunity to intern with

art galleries such as Joost van den Bergh and Peter Finer in London, acting as a gallery assistant,

taking care of customers, and conducting research using my Japanese language skills. On the one

hand, my position at Joost Van den Bergh has involved me in many tasks, such as supervising

restorers, selling pieces, managing clients, storages and social media, customer care assistance,

translating Japanese texts, writing and editing catalogues, cataloguing Japanese artefacts and

crafts, and researching contemporary Japanese painters, craftsmen and artworks. On the other

hand, I researched and analysed Japanese suits of armour and helmets during my internship at

Peter Finer. Being immersed in modern and contemporary artefacts and amidst highly competent

art professionals has been an incredible experience. Ultimately, I did my last professional

experience as an assistant viewing at Lyon and Turnbull auction house related to a significant

Chinese and Japanese art sale in May. This position has involved in crucial matters such as setting

up the gallery space, assisting clients at the showroom of the auction sale, bidding telephone,

unpacking and putting items in cabinets, labelling items up, helping to hang pictures, giving me

a crucial practical background. Lastly, I have recorded Colonna Palace’s Japanese audio guides 

in Rome. I dream of a career in the art world as a gallerist, possibly bridging Italian and Japanese 

cultures that, despite appearance, share commonalities.

Having finished my Master's degree in ‘History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia’ at the

School of Oriental and African Studies, I am certain that I want to pursue this field of study at a

more professional level, focusing on International art fairs. My MA was focused on

Modern and Contemporary Asian Art, and thus, I gained a well-rounded background in Japanese,

Korean and Chinese art. Moreover, I graduated from Università La Sapienza in Rome, with a BA

in 'Studies in Art History'. My Italian BA was interdisciplinary, and I studied Renaissance, Greek

and Roman Archaeology, Byzantine, Baroque and Modern and Contemporary Western art.