February 6–8, 2026
Arte Fiera 49—Cosa sarà
Applications are now open to the 2026 edition of Arte Fiera, the longest-running Italian art fair.
After a successful 2025 edition, with the participation of the most prestigious Italian galleries and important collectors brought to Bologna, Arte Fiera will launch its next cycle with the new Artistic Director Davide Ferri (previously curator of five editions of Pittura XXI, the section devoted entirely to painting) in synergy with Enea Righi, who will be Managing Director for the fourth year.
Arte Fiera 49’s appearance will reaffirm and enhance its identity, celebrating Italian art in all of its many and multifaceted forms and aspects: a polycentric, polyphonic, heterogeneous system, ready to be discovered to international public as well.
This edition’s title, Cosa sarà (What it will be), implies energy projected toward the future; a degree of unexpectedness and intention to renew the “fair format,” a reference to the enigmatic aspect that keeps collectors and art lovers so intensely bound to contemporary art.
Five sections, new curators
Along with the Main Section, divided, as always, into post-war and contemporary art, Arte Fiera will offer five curated, invitation-only sections, with some important new additions.
“Ventesimo+” is the new project for the modern art hall, addressed to galleries that focus on post-war art. Presenting Italian and foreign art from the early 21st century to today, it will be curated by Alberto Salvadori, critic and curator, director and founder of Fondazione ICA in Milan. “Ventesimo+” focuses on collecting and indicates possible methods and forms in the pursuit of eclecticism and transversality, and considering the growth of every collection as a specific, unique, identifying phenomenon.
“Fotografia e dintorni”, the new name of the section devoted to the photographic medium, will be curated by Marta Papini, an independent curator who since 2004 has curated Radis, the public art project promoted by Fondazione per l'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT. The section presents photography from a wide perspective, and includes post-war masters and young talents, formal research and conceptual approach, as well as dialog with other media.
“Multipli”—curated for the first time by Lorenzo Gigotti, editor, co-founder and head of content of NERO – explains, by means of a wide range of media and formats (lithographs, artist books, design pieces, graphics, photographs, as well as audio books and new media), how an important part of the art scene in Italy and abroad is adopting methods to increase reproducibility and accessibility with the aim of creating more open and inclusive market structures, able to attract new collectors.
“Pittura XXI”—curated for the first time by Ilaria Gianni, critic, curator, and co-artistic director of the IUNO independent art space in Rome – reinterprets painting as a contemporary medium in a period in which it has thundered back on the art scene. It will include several emblematic researches by artists of different generations, from 2000 to today.
“Prospettiva”, now in its second year, is once again curated by Michele D’Aurizio, critic and independent curator. The section is dedicated to the creative research of young artists and presents monographic presentations by emerging galleries (with less than ten years of activity) and by established galleries, provided they have a scouting program.
Fair preview: February 5 / Fair: February 6–8.
Contacts
Show office: artefiera [at] bolognafiere.it, T +39 051 282929 /2355.
Arte Fiera press office: Elena Pardini, elena [at] elenapardini.it, T +39 348 3399463.
BolognaFiere Communication & Media: Elena Sabbatini, elena.sabbatini [at] bolognafiere.it, T +39 051 282876.
