Bortolami opened in New York City in September 2005. In 2017, Bortolami relocated from Chelsea to the Tribeca neighborhood of Lower Manhattan and now hosts exhibitions at three distinct locations on Walker Street.
The gallery’s program is focused on established and midcareer contemporary artists. Bortolami has presented several exhibitions by Daniel Buren, Richard Aldrich, Barbara Kasten, and Tom Burr, artists with whom the gallery has had long-standing relationships. The Bortolami program has expanded to include a group of international artists which include Ella Kruglyanskaya, Rebecca Morris, Caitlin Keogh, Mary Obering, Renée Green, Lesley Vance, Marina Rheingantz, Naotaka Hiro, Virginia Overton, Mary Obering, and many more. In 2021 the gallery announced representation of its first Estate, Deborah Remington (b.1930, d.2010).
Bortolami is also known for its Artist / City initiative, which brings evolving yearlong exhibitions to architecturally specific venues in cities across the United States. These projects include Daniel Buren/Miami, Eric Wesley/St.Louis, Tom Burr/New Haven, Jutta Koether/Philadelphia, Ann Veronica Janssens/Baltimore, Barbara Kasten/Chicago, Paul Pfeiffer / Washington, D.C. and Cecily Brown / Buffalo. The next such exhibition will feature Koichi Sato, Susumu Kamijo and Jonas Wood in Las Vegas in fall 2022.