The 49th edition of Arte Fiera continues on a positive trend

The 49th edition of Arte Fiera in Bologna (5-8 February) opens the season of modern and contemporary art fairs in Italia, with 202 exhibitors present. This edition also marks the entrance of Davide Ferri at the artistic direction -, already director of Pittura XXI in the previous editions led by Simone Menegoi -, and the continuity with the last, happy, editions guaranteed by the reconfirmation of the operations director Enea Righi. 

In a reassuring fair that is synonymous with tradition, novelties particularly stand out and deserve to be highlighted. It is surprising to include among the novelties the presence for the first time in Bologna of Kauffmann Repetto, one of Milan's leading galleries; it is a demonstration that Arte Fiera is now able to be attractive even for those who have always preferred to focus on other venues, a presence honoured with a dialogue between two of great depth between Atelier dell'Errore (€1,500-17,000) and Adrian Paci (€20,000). Herald St is taking part in Arte Fiera for the second time, but the novelty is that the powerful London gallery has had a permanent presence in Bologna for a few months now. The Brexit and the consequent need for an address in the European Union, but also a represented artist, Francis Hoffman, who lives in Bologna, are mentioned among the reasons for this opening. And certainly the 5% VAT was a nice welcome gift. One of their works was among the most photographed and shared on social media: 'Domestic Tail', a fake leopard tail wrapped on a spool, an ironic work by Nicole Wermers (again) on sale for 22.00 euro

The novelty in terms of artists is to be found in the curated sections, in 'Pittura XXI' very effectively organised by Ilaria Gianni the galleries often showcase young Italian artists. Sold out for Leonardo Devito (with paintings between EUR 10,000 and EUR 20,000), his painting mixes realistic and visionary images in surprising compositions at Acappella in Naples. The young Tuscan artist recently exhibited at Hauser & Wirth in Paris in a collaborative exhibition with Ciaccia Levi offering a certain guarantee for collectors in Bologna. One of the paintings was acquired by Valentina Armetta, a Roman collector focused on Eastern contemporary art. A shared stand placed Thomaz Rosa from Castiglioni in dialogue with Micaela Pinero (2,200-6,500) from UNA Galleria, the young Argentinean painter with her paintings of strong spiritual impact was rewarded with several sales including two at the Marval Collection in Milan. A young Italian-Brazilian painter made her mark in the 'Perspective' section curated by Michele d'Aurizio. In fact, one of the few oversize installations at the fair was hers, a composition of more than 200 drawings and a large painting resulting from a curatorial and research project on artisans and their knowledge in Isola del Liri, for which the Matthew Noble Gallery of Milan asked EUR 40,000. The "Photography and its surroundings" section curated by Marta Papini, which highlights the possibilities of a multifaceted medium, was highly appreciated. Apalazzogallery features the iconic photographs of Jason Schmidt, who specialises in portraying other artists. Images that wink at fashion photography are on sale between EUR 3,000 and EUR 5,000. Original and topical are the photographs by Buck Ellison whose favourite theme of his portraits is the lives of rich white Americans, far from being naïve portraits but a device to highlight the privileges of the ruling class (between €10,000 and €18,000 were his fair prices). More intimist and personal are the collages by Petra Feriancova, in which she shows moments of her life in Gilda Lavia's stand, €3,000 each. The narrative power of photography can be found throughout the fair: the Ligreggi gallery is staging a single show bySilvia Camporesi, here among the stories told through the lens is that of the mirror of Viganella in Piedmont that reflects the sunlight towards the village square shrouded in the shadow of the mountains during the winter months, between 2,000 and 9,000 euro the stand prices. Among the most popular works, of course, were those by Chiara Camoni, as she will soon be the star of the Italia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Her creations were on sale at Spazio A between EUR 10,000 and EUR 55,000.

Even the pavilion dedicated to modern art, far from always being the same, offers many insights. Very much appreciated is the presence of the Archivio Ugo Ferranti in the 'Multipli' section curated by Lorenzo Gigotti. The stand traces the glorious history of the Roman gallery closed in 2013 through the works of artists who collaborated with Ferranti. The editions range from 50 euros for an invitation to a Christo exhibition from '74 to 22,000 for a photograph by Nan Goldin belonging to one of his most famous series "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency". 21 ART is both a collectors' club and an art gallery, and even the stand setting reflects this combination with an exhibition space and a VIP lounge reserved for club members. One of the main investors in the project is Alessandro Benetton, while the artists on display are the young Gonzalo Borondo with prices ranging from 18,000 to 150,000 euros and Jan Fabre with sculptures from the 'Songs of the Canaries' series offered at 90,000 euros each.

What happens in the city obviously has its reverberations at the fair. The exhibition at Mambo 'The Performative Word' features the great American artist John Giorno, his enlightening, cynical, existential phrases can also be found on Thomas Brambilla's stand with prices between 35,000 and 90,000 euro. Perhaps the most expensive works suffered the most from those Italian collectors who were absent in Bologna, some decidedly emblazoned, spotted in Doha for Art Basel Qatar and in Cortina for the opening of the Olympics. But many others tried not to miss them: Flaminia Cerasi acquired several works including the aforementioned Jason Schmidt from Apalazzo, Laura and Marcello Lombardini bet on the Chinese artist Yuchu Gao who depicts the strength of women through various styles at Ermes Ermes: totemic, cubist, grotesque. Marco Paletta chose a wax work by Bekhbaatar Enkhtur from Matèria and drawings by Palestinian artist Khaled Jarada from P420. Giulia and Federico Bartolini acquired a significant work by Simon Starling from Franco Noero, Viviana Filippozzi, head of Sartoria Cardona acquired an oil by Claudio Valerio from the research gallery Studio La Linea Verticale for the first time directly at a fair, the work of choice is an oil by Claudio Valerio from the research gallery Studio La Linea Verticale, prices between 800 and 4,000 euros.
In addition to supporting the fair with many acquisitions, local collectors are strengthening the city's cultural offer with foundations and public collections: among the latest arrivals is Paola Pizzighini Benelli's Palazzo Boncompagni with an exhibition dedicated to Michelangelo Pistoletto "Dalla Cittadellarte allo Statodellarte" curated by Silvia Evangelisti.