“I am happy to announce the new project for miart 2017 that will make the most of the work done so far, expanding content and parameters,” said Alessandro Rabottini, the fair’s new Artistic Director. “Along with the numerous professionals and curators comprising the miart 2017 team, we have conceived of a fair that looks at the various aspects of the art market, and that can offer our public a broad spectrum of artistic production, from the latest generations to the masterpieces of the last century. In this new guise, miart is consolidating its structure and establishing an ever-stronger dialogue with collectors, galleries and institutions.” Miart is a fair that, like the city hosting it, engages in an intense dialogue between modern and contemporary art and design, experimentation and post-war masters. The main sections – Emergent, First Step, Established Contemporary and Established Masters – have been confirmed as the bearing structure of the upcoming event, proving the breadth of the chronological offering characterizing miart, from the art of the most recent generations to the masters of the last century. This concept of consolidation is reflected by the entry of the team of Alberto Salvadori – who curated the Decades section in 2016 – appointed to curate the Masters section devoted to artistic production from the early 1900s up to 2000. Miart also welcomes Oda Albera, who headed the Galleria Massimo De Carlo at the Milan venue for ten years, in the new role of Exhibitors Liaison and Special Projects.

Miart 2017 has expanded one of its linchpins – the dialogue between historical positions and recent artistic experiences – by redefining and expanding the concept of its central section. The new section entitled Generations – strictly by invitation – marks a development of the previous THENnow section: the comparison will be between artists from different generations, regardless of the contrast between a historic artist and a contemporary one. Nicola Lees (independent curator based in London, previously Senior Curator of the Public Programme at the Serpentine Gallery and curator of the Frieze Projects in London) and Douglas Fogle (writer and independent curator based in Los Angeles, previously curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis [1994–2005] and at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh [2005–2009], and Vice Director at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles [2009–2012]) have been appointed to curate the Generations section. On Demand has also been added. This is a cross-cutting section with a brand-new concept, encouraging galleries to exhibit context-based art: site-specific works such as installations and wall paintings, projects to be completed, commissions, performances and so on. We are talking about works that, in order to exist, must be “activated” by those who own them, thus underscoring that the very act of collecting is a form of care, planning and responsibility.

The other curatorial sections have also been confirmed: Decades (curated by Alberto Salvadori, Director OAC Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze) and Object (curated by Domitilla Dardi, curator for Design at MAXXI Architettura – Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome), while this year the Emergent section will have its own Advisory Committee composed of Marco Altavilla from Galleria T293 in Rome, Emanuel Layr from Galerie Emanuel Layr in Vienna, David Hoyland from Seventeen in London and Paolo Zani from Zero... in Milan. Lastly, Vera Alemani (Greene Naftali, New York) and Davide Mazzoleni (Mazzoleni, Turin and London) have joined the miart 2017 Selection Committee, working alongside Michele Casamonti (Tornabuoni Art, Paris), Lodovico Corsini (CLEARING, New York – Brussels), Mario Cristiani (Galleria Continua, San Gimignano, Beijing, Les Moulins and Havana), Francesca Kaufmann (kaufmannrepetto, Milan and New York), Laura Lord (Sadie Coles HQ, London) and Giò Marconi (Giò Marconi, Milan). For miartalks, the collaboration continues between miart and In Between Art Film, the production house of artists’ films and experimental works, founded by Beatrice Bulgari. This year the rich series of conversations and encounters open to the public will be curated by Ben Borthwick (Artistic Director of the Plymouth Arts Centre, Plymouth) and Diana Campbell Betancourt (Artistic Director of the Samdani Art Foundation and Chief Curator of the Dhaka Art Summit for 2018, Dhaka and Bataan).

Over the past years miart has come to the fore as an international platform where modern art, contemporary art and artistic design dialogue ceaselessly, in a prolific convergence of consolidated values and experimentation. For the 2017 event miart is again confirming its role as a prime benchmark for collectors, professionals and art lovers from around the world, who can always experience the most vital Milanese scenario of contemporary art thanks to the intense schedule of events, well-established collaborations and the support of Milan’s main cultural institutions, such as PAC – Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Palazzo Reale, Museo del Novecento, GAM – Villa Reale, Triennale di Milano, Fondazione Prada, Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Fondazione Carriero, HangarBicocca and the city’s numerous house-museums.