Menhir draws its identifying inspiration from the Breton term 'long stone' in reference to the Stele Statues of Lunigiana, a historical area adjacent to the gallery's founding location in 1984.

The choice of name thus affirms the intention, on the one hand, to enhance the belonging to its own territory, without forgetting it, but rather deepening it and basing part of its initial artistic research on it, and, on the other hand, the intent to promote a broader vision, which led the Gallery to collaborate with Masters both national and from the international scene.

Menhir Art Gallery began its exhibition activity about forty years ago, consolidating its positioning over the years as a research gallery, attentive to the evolution of artistic movements, with an international focus even back then.

In 2014, with the transition from the historical management of Dr. Alberto Rolla to Sebastiano Calandra, the research leitmotif continued, which led to the opening of a second location in Milan in 2016, on Via Mario Giuriati, in addition to the historic La Spezia headquarters; the latter ceased operations in 2018 to dedicate itself profitably to the Milanese activity, which has become an art-centric city compared to the pan-European artistic ferment.

Today, Menhir, under the management of Sebastiano Calandra, continues its project of investigation and diversification of its exhibition proposals—thanks also to its presence at the most important national fairs and as a visitor to the main European fairs—in a changed context shared by an increasingly demanding, attentive, and scrupulous collector public to which it addresses.