When I met Stefania Bortolami at her eponymous Tribeca gallery earlier this November, she was midway through overseeing the installation of her latest exhibition, a solo show of new paintings by the New York-based artist Robert Bordo. Walking around the space, she was a commanding presence, certain of her choices and intimately alive to the sight-lines and architectural quirks of her surroundings.

The Italian-born dealer first moved to New York in 1999, drawn away from her job as a director at Anthony d’Offay Gallery in London by an irresistible offer from art-world titan Larry Gagosian. From there, her rise further through the ranks of the industry was swift. After emerging as an ace deal-maker at Gagosian, she and another Gagosianite, Amalia Dayan, left in 2005 to open a gallery of their own. The pair parted ways after two years, and the gallery thus became Bortolami Gallery.