BOLOGNA.- Over its 34 editions, Arte Fiera Art First has strengthened its role as Italy’s most important and complete international fair of modern and contemporary art by presenting the best historical and avant-garde galleries.

On the international art scene, Arte Fiera Art First confirms its constant promotion of Italian art from the early XX Century, to the ‘50s till today by presenting internationally renowned artists. It is a unique showcase for discovering modern masters such as Carlo Carrà, Felice Casorati, Giorgio de Chirico, Gino Severini, alongside conceptual art by Enrico Castellani, Agostino Bonalumi, and Vincenzo Agnetti, or informal art by Giuseppe Capogrossi, Alberto Burri, and Emilio Vedova; the Spatialism of Lucio Fontana and Arte Povera by Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Gilberto Zorio – to whom Bologna’s Museo d’Arte Moderna dedicates a large show closing 17 February 2010 - and representatives of the Italian Transavanguardia.

The fair presents a comprehensive view of the international art scene, with works by Antony Gormley, Wym Delvoye, Per Barclay, Tony Ousler, Hans Peter Feldmann, Alfredo Jaar among others, to the most important representatives of the British art such as David Hockney, Gilbert&George, and Tony Cragg, as well as masters of photography such as Thomas Ruff, Anton Corbijn, or Luigi Ghirri. There will also be a selection of works by artists coming from many different countries who are exploring contemporary art by using a wide variety of artistic medias, including American performer Nick Cave, installations by Russian Peter Belyi, and Chinese Zhang Huan.

New trends proposed by emerging Italian and international artists are presented in the Young Galleries section, where galleries in the art market not more than 5 years will display works ranging in price from 500 to 10,000 euros, for collectors who are new to art or want to discover future talents. The following Italian galleries will participate in the 2010 edition: AMT/Torri&Geminian, Federico Luger, N.O. Gallery, Riccardo Crespi, (Milan), 1/9 unosunove, Federica Schiavo, Z20 Galleria Sara Zanin, The Gallery Apart (Rome), Paolo Maria Deanesi (Rovereto), Federico Bianchi (Lecco), Fabio Tiboni (Bologna), Galleria 42 (Modena), For Gallery (Florence), SpazioA (Pistoia), Glance (Turin), Not Gallery (Naples), Tiziana Di Caro (Salerno), La Veronica (Modica), Francesco Pantaleone (Palermo), and the G.L.O.W. Platform group (Allegra Ravizza – Milan, Jarach Gallery – Venice, Mas Art-Barcelona, Nina Lumer – Milan, Novalis Contemporary Art – Turin, Sandunga – Granada). International galleries are: ADN Galeria (Barcelona), Fu Xin Gallery (Shanghai), Davide Gallo and Mario Mazzoli (Berlin).

At the Fair
Every day books and catalogues will be presented at the Art Café space, so that visitors can discover the latest products from publishers and galleries exhibiting at Arte Fiera Art First. A meeting point for artists, curators, critics, and personalities in the world of art and contemporary culture.

The Art Talks space host conferences on collecting, with analyses and discussions of all aspects of this topic. The program calls for three panels focus on private museums, corporate collections, and relations between art and the art market organized in collaboration with Gruppo 24Ore.

The 4th edition of the Premio Euromobil Under 30 – main sponsor of Arte Fiera Art First – is addressed to Italian and foreign artists whose works are in the fair. The winner, selected by a jury consisting of Gaspare, Antonio, Fiorenzo and Giancarlo Lucchetta, Silvia Evangelisti, Beatrice Buscaroli, Walter Guadagnini, Aldo Colonetti, Cleto Munari and Roberto Gobbo, will be announced at the exhibition and invited to create a work that relates to the Euromobil collections showing at Arte Fiera in ‘I luoghi dell’arte. I luoghi del design’ space.

In the city
Arte Fiera and the city of Bologna continue their close collaboration with a wide program of collateral events to enliven the city during the four days of the exhibition and in the following month. Bologna becomes a venue for contemporary art, with shows in museums, courtyards, buildings, and streets of the historical centre.

Bologna Art First, a fascinating itinerary in the city, at its 5th edition, for the first time will be curated in collaboration with Julia Draganovic. The project is conceived as a single large group show, an itinerary with images of art and history. From 29 January to the end of February, it will present a series of installations by artists working with galleries at the fair, creating a dialogue between contemporary art and unusual locations in the historical city centre and the surroundings.

As curator Julia Draganovic explains, “For the 5th edition of Bologna Art First, the city of Bologna will again have a multifaceted appearance, a stage combining the ancient and the modern, where visitors can see and experience contemporary art in contexts much different from the usual “white cubes””... to reflect on today’s world by creating visions of tomorrow.”

For the third year, Arte Fiera OFF is the ‘case’ of collateral events, presenting exhibitions, concerts, and festivals at many locations in Bologna and in Emilia Romagna during Arte Fiera Art First.

Museum events include: at MAMbo, Gilberto Zorio (October 15, 2009 - 7 February 2010) and at Villa delle Rose, a homage to the Italian designer Dino Gavina, stanze delle meraviglie (January 31 - 11 April 2010); at Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia (Pattern Room), Gert & Uwe Tobias (November 15, 2009 - February 14, 2010). Events in the city include the 12th edition of the Future Film Festival (January 26 - 31, 2010), one of the top Italian events devoted to film animation and special effects.

On Saturday 30 January, Art White Night transforms Bologna’s historical center into a grand venue for contemporary art, with special evening hours for museums, galleries, historical buildings, and concerts and performances in the streets.