Arte Fiera’s decision to showcase the best Italian art of the last century is confirmed in this edition’s Main Section, in which over 40 galleries will exhibit more than 200 works by contemporary Italian artists, who have achieved stunning results this year on the international markets.Alongside the longstanding stars - Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Enrico Castellani, Alighiero Boetti, Michelangelo Pistoletto, praised by Paris’ Louvre and already well-known abroad – the most famous international museums and most prestigious private galleries have begun to follow Alberto Burri, who is soon to have a large retrospective exhibition at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, and Dadamaino, Gianni Colombo, Pier Paolo Calzolari, as well as others, while Agostino Bonalumi, Paolo Scheggi, Turi Simeti have been the subject of new international interest in the last few months, achieving record sales at Sotheby’s.

For the president of BolognaFiere, Duccio Campagnoli “The results confirm the success of the format we have invested in for Arte Fiera: a curatorial show, with an artistic directorship aimed at valorizing above all Italian art, Italian modern and contemporary art galleries and the role of collecting. We have made this investment with our resources and it would be useful – he continues – if there were a national policy that focused in the same way on valorizing the great expressions of the most recent Italian art and on the legacy they have created and continue to create, for a new generation of young Italian artists who can hold their own on the international scene”.

This trend was already foreseen by the previous editions of the show: “We have given our commitment – underlines Claudio Spadoni, artistic director of the section of the show dedicated to modern art - to create, at Arte Fiera, no longer a simple exhibition, but an event and a project proposal for the market and collectors, which identifies topics and attracts attention and new interest; we have seen that Art Fiera can again play an international role, looking specifically towards emerging elements and markets”.

Artistic director Giorgio Verzotti, in charge of the contemporary section of the show, agrees with the curatorial approach of the show and claims: "We have made a distinctive feature of Arte Fiera the close relationship with Italian collectors, who for the second year have loaned their works for an original exhibition, this time dedicated to the art of the Middle East. In fact Arte Fiera will mark the birth of the first Association of Italian Collectors, which will open the Conversations – the programme of meetings organized by Arte Fiera especially to keep Collectors up to date – and will be introduced by the President of the newly founded Association of Italian Contemporary Arts Foundations, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo.”

An exhibition comprising works loaned by over 60 collectors, entitled "Too early, too late", will be curated by Marco Scotini, who is also in charge of the “Focus Est” section of the show, and hosted at Bologna’s Pinacoteca Nazionale. This exhibition will remain open until 12 April 2015.

Arte Fiera 2015 also pays special attention to the relationship between galleries and collectors, dedicating a new area to “Protagonists”, i.e. the galleries that have played a key role in the development of Italian art. This year the protagonists will be selected and proposed by a collector, Lorenzo Paini, and a curator, Marco Scotini.

The curatorial approach will be completed by the programme of Arte Fiera Conversations, coordinated by the Art Economy journalist Riccarda Mandrini who will present nine meetings of great international importance dedicated to the issues of the market and public and private investment in art, focusing in particular on the experiences of emerging markets of Asia and the Middle East. Amongst others, the talks will see the participation of Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo (Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo), Ramin Salsali (Salsali Museum, Dubai), Arsalan Mohammad (Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia), Renate Wiehager (Daimler corporate collection), Urs Stahel (MAST, Bologna), Lea Mattarella, Todd Levin (Levin Art Group), Hou Hanru (MAXXI, Rome), and Vasif Kartun (SALT, Istanbul).

The 5 sections of Arte Fiera 2015The heart of the exhibition will be the Main section, with 127 modern and contemporary art galleries.

This year the “Focus Est” section, curated by Marco Scotini, will focus on the artistic production of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures.

Following its debut in 2014, this year will see the return of the “Fotografia” section with 24 galleries – an increase of 20% - realized in collaboration with MIA Fair and curated by Fabio Castelli. This area confirms a global trend that has seen a significant increase in interest in photography as one of the languages of contemporary art.

The Solo Show section will offer a cross-section of Italian and international art, through stands set up by 14 galleries proposing monographic displays from great modern and contemporary artists. Solo Show narrates the symbiosis between galleries and artists, which has been fundamental to many success stories in the history of art.

The Nuove Proposte area hosts 10 galleries presenting the work of artists under 35 years of age: an essential demonstration of the role of research, discovery and valorization of new talents and new languages.

Alongside Arte Fiera 2015 will be the third edition of Art City, a new programme of events organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Bologna to accompany Arte Fiera with cultural initiatives and encourage people to visit the city’s museums and art venues. This will involve important special exhibitions related to a core theme of dialogue between the historical and contemporary, and specific events for Arte Fiera organized in Bologna’s 14 main contemporary art galleries. In 2015 Art City Bologna will again include a key section dedicated to the Cinema, comprising a cinematographic exhibition prepared by the Bologna Film Foundation. On Saturday 24 January Bologna will welcome thousands of visitors to its all-night “Art White Night” event.

National Premier of Mr. Turner. Another outstanding event will be the national premier of the film “Mr. Turner” about the great British master, in the presence of director Mike Leigh. Probably an Oscar candidate, Mr. Turner has already enchanted audiences at the Cannes film festival. Arte Fiera 2015 will present this visionary film about one of the most important painters and artists of the nineteenth century, thanks to the producer and director’s strong desire to acknowledge Arte Fiera’s importance on the international scene. On 25 January Mike Leigh himself will present his film about this master of international art to the press at the Fair.

Another “happy return” sees the ninth edition of the Premio Gruppo Euromobil under 30, which has become an authoritative award for the work of artists under the age of 30 presented by the galleries during Arte Fiera. This year the traditional Prize awarded by the jury of experts will be accompanied by a second recognition awarded directly by the public visiting Arte Fiera.