Alfonso Artiaco opened his gallery in Pozzuoli, in Corso Nicola Terracciano, in 1986, at the age of twenty-two. The first exhibition, Possibilità di collezione, featured works by Alighiero Boetti, Joseph Beuys, Luciano Fabro, Luigi Ontani, Giulio Paolini, Mario Schifano, and Andy Warhol, among others.

In the following years, the gallery developed a program primarily focused on Arte Povera, Conceptual Art, and Minimalism, presenting solo exhibitions by artists such as Giovanni Anselmo, Richard Artschwager, Alan Charlton, Wolfgang Laib, Giuseppe Penone, Niele Toroni, and Lawrence Weiner.

In 1995, the gallery temporarily relocated to Via Mameli, inaugurating the new space with an exhibition of Carl Andre and Sol LeWitt. In 1997, it returned to its original location with the first solo show of Jannis Kounellis. In 2003, Alfonso Artiaco moved the gallery to Naples, first to Piazza dei Martiri, where it remained until 2012, and then, in November of the same year, to Piazzetta Nilo at the piano nobile of Palazzo Principe Raimondo De Sangro, opening with exhibitions by Liam Gillick and Sol LeWitt. In 2025, the gallery returned to Piazza dei Martiri, inaugurating with two solo shows: Ann Veronica Janssens and Ugo Rondinone.

Over the years, the gallery has pursued sustained artistic research with particular attention to the international scene, exhibiting artists such as Darren Almond, Robert Barry, Michel François, Gilbert & George, Thomas Hirschhorn, Ann Veronica Janssens, Albert Oehlen, Giulio Paolini, Perino & Vele, Edi Rama, Anri Sala, Tursic & Mille, and Juan Uslè.

In 2016, Alfonso Artiaco celebrated thirty years of activity with a major exhibition bringing together forty artists, featuring works selected or created specifically for the occasion.

Alongside its longstanding commitment to historic artists, the gallery continues to expand its program through new collaborations. These include the Swiss artist Not Vital, known for his sculptural approach; the young artists Veronica Bisesti, Paolo Bini, and Selene Cardia; and the German painters Andreas Breunig and Jana Schröder. The program also includes the Brazilian artist Maria Thereza Alves and the Scottish painter Callum Innes. Recent collaborations extend to Adam Pendleton, whose work combines language, abstraction, and historical narratives, and Johan Creten, known for his expressive ceramic sculptures, while the gallery also represents the estates of historical figures Achille Perilli and Antoni Tàpies.

In 2026, the gallery will mark its fortieth anniversary.