Verona kicks off the 19th edition of ArtVerona

The 19th edition of ArtVerona, which will open in Verona on Friday, October 11, and continue through Sunday, October 13, was presented today at Veronafiere. Speakers at the meeting included Verona City Council’s Councillor for Culture, Tourism and Relations with UNESCO Marta Ugolini, Veronafiere President Federico Bricolo, ArtVerona Artistic Director Stefano Raimondi, ArtVerona Deputy Art Director Elena Forin, Verona Civic Museums Director Francesca Rossi, Curator-in-Charge of the GAM Achille Forti Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art in Verona Patrizia Nuzzo, and Curator of the exhibition TOMORROWS - A Land of Water promoted by Fondazione Cariverona, Jessica Bianchera. For Veronafiere, also present was the Director General, Adolfo Rebughini.

The exhibition sections of this edition are three and gather the adhesion of 130 galleries, in addition to the participation of the publishing world and non-profit spaces. The main section consists of an important and selected presence of modern and contemporary art galleries, with proposals ranging from the works of historical artists through mid-career to younger artists. Innova, curated by Hannah Eckstein, focuses on the most experimental and research-based emerging galleries, which are asked to present either a monograph or a group exhibition of up to three artists. Curated by, curated by Giacinto di Pietrantonio, is the section aimed at young galleries that reflects on the collaboration between them and an independent curator, who is called upon to realize the booth project in a curatorial key. There are several approach and promotion initiatives with a view to broadening ArtVerona’s basin of influence, thanks to a strong synergy between Veronafiere’s brands. During the last edition of Vinitaly, the international wine and spirits fair, the Ristorante d’Arte e d’Autore hosted a selection of works from Veronafiere’s art collection. The message of contemporary art has been carried into other business universes and continues its journey through initiatives aimed both at engaging different audiences and the protagonists of different markets that have long shown attention and curiosity for visual languages, also thanks to exhibition projects such as the Artefacta Lapis exhibition presenting the works of Raffaello Galiotto, curated by Alfonso Cariolato, in collaboration with Marmomac. On the Awards side, ArtVerona’s offerings are strengthened thanks to the consolidation of partnerships with corporate and institutional entities and the generous support of collectors and private individuals.

In addition to the acquisition fund A Disposizione promoted by Veronafiere, the 2024 edition reconfirms the Tomorrows UniCredit residency and production award supported by UniCredit, conceived, oragnized and promoted by Urbs Picta in collaboration with Fondazione Cariverona, Veronafiere S.p.A.-ArtVerona, Contemporanea-University of Verona and aimed at supporting artistic research that addresses the challenges and changes of our time, the A Collection Award, the Montani Tesei Award, the Casarini DueTorri Hotel Award, the MZ Costruzioni Award, the Massimiliano Galliani Award for Drawing Under40, the Sustainable Art Prize, the ArteMuseo Award, the Icona Award, the Zenato Academy Award for photography under40, the Marval Collection Award, the stARTup Award, the Fondazione The Bank Award for contemporary painting, the Display Award and the Ideo Pantaleoni Award.

Also returning for this year is the Red Carpet format, which sees the involvement of artist Ugo Rondinone (b. 1964, Brunnen) in the creation of the 400-plus-square-meter carpet that welcomes visitors to ArtVerona. The work is entitled the rainbow brick road and is dedicated to LGBTQIA+ rights in Italy. The initiative is the result of a well-established partnership with Aquafil S.p.A.-among the leading manufacturers of synthetic fibers derived from recycled materials-and the production company OBJECT CARPET GmbH (Denkendorf, Germany). After artists Paola Pivi, Stefano Arienti and American Peter Halley, another internationally recognized big name then creates the fair’s best-known installation, usable only during the three days of the event and set up in the Galleria dei Signori. One of the pivotal projects of ArtVerona’s recent itinerary, Habitat, in its third edition, allows visitors to delve into the work of two great masters of Italian art by observing it from an unprecedented point of view.Habitat at the fair, dedicated to the work of Fabio Mauri and realized in collaboration with the Studio, presents for the first time the complete collection of the Zerbini, made on several occasions between 1995 and 2009, in which the artist literally puts thoughts and reflections on the ground, inviting the public to enter the work by stepping on it and immersing themselves in its meaning. At Palazzo della Ragione, ArtVerona and the Musei Civici di Verona - Galleria d’Arte Moderna Achille are organizing the exhibition Mario Merz. Number is a Living Animal, created in collaboration with the Merz Foundation in Turin, which can be visited until March 30, 2025. An inescapable figure of Arte Povera and internationally known, Mario Merz made the interpenetration of work and environment the core of his artistic research. The exhibition itinerary conceived by curators Patrizia Nuzzo, Head of the Modern and Contemporary Art Collections of GAM Achille Forti in Verona, and Stefano Raimondi, Artistic Director of ArtVerona, focuses on the archetypal elements that continually return in the artist’s production as coherent forms of a research under the banner of full expressive freedom. The formats at the fair see the return of Visiting Curators, curated by Maria Chiara Valacchi, the program that opens to the hospitality of curatorial figures and directors of international museums or foundations to strengthen the network of highly qualified connections aimed at supporting Italian art. The professionals selected for this edition are Cristiana Collu, Nicolas Gitton, Luca Lo Pinto, Pierre-Alexandre Mateos actively involved in ArtVerona 2024 in the investigation of new artistic researches and exhibition stands and to initiate profitable exchanges and opportunities with the galleries present at the fair.

Also confirmed is StandChat, curated by Saverio Verini, in collaboration with the Department of Cultures and Civilizations of the University of Verona. StandChat encompasses a series of three-voice dialogues between the curator and some of the artists and gallerists present at ArtVerona. An opportunity open to the public to become familiar with the artist’s practice, in a direct and informal way, but also to better understand the role and sensibility of the gallerist. LAB, curated by Giulia Floris, hosts four artist-run-spaces, i.e., realities founded and run by artists who have chosen to open their studios to external impulses, looking to the surrounding community as well as to interlocutors not necessarily codified within the art world: Cinevetrina, Esposizione Sud Est, FBI - Fondazione Benassi Iacopo, Viola Spettri. It is part of the rich cultural program called Art&TheCity, realized thanks to the collaboration with important public and private institutions such as: Fondazione Cariverona, the Civic Museums of Verona, Palazzo Maffei Casa Museo, where it will be possible to visit the generative digital and interactive work Borderland by Manuel Gardina, the University, the Academy of Fine Arts, and the exhibition TOMORROWS - A Land of Water, curated by Jessica Bianchera and Marta Ferretti, in the historic rooms of Castel San Pietro. The exhibition focuses on the theme of water as a central and crucial element of our lives, as much in its physicality as in its symbolic meanings, and will be introduced on Friday, Oct. 11, by a live performance by Lorenzo Senni and DJ set by Ritmica curated by Path Festival. The project supported by Fondazione Cariverona, ArtVerona and numerous other partners continues the line of research started last year that investigates the present and future of the Earth through the contamination between contemporary art and various disciplines related to sustainability. TOMORROWS presents video works and installations by DAVRA research collective (Saodat Ismailova, Madina Joldybek, Zumrad Mirzalieva), Lina Dib, Elena Mazzi, and Alberta Whittle and is among the flagship actions of Panta Rei, a project promoted by Fondazione Cariverona until October 2025, focusing on the problem of the water emergency, consisting of two exhibitions, an artist residency, a conference, and a vast public program. Among the appointments is confirmed Attraverso Veronetta, curated by Maria Marinelli in collaboration with the City of Verona, the second edition of the itinerary through the historic buildings of Via Venti Settembre: among the places visited is the Bastione delle Maddalene, a bulwark of the Austrian defense system that is part of Verona’s magisterial walls. Also returning is LIVES! the show conceived by Nicolas Ballario, well-known face of Sky Arte, voice of Radio Rai and contemporary art expert, and musician Rodrigo D’Erasmo, multi-instrumentalist, composer and member of Afterhours. At the Mercatali Galleries, Ballario and D’Erasmo, together with Valeria Sturba, will bring to the stage the life story of a contemporary art protagonist mixed in words and music: Jeff Koons.

“Through a strategic and inclusive path that dialogues with the business system, ArtVerona aims to develop synergies between different worlds, sensitive to contemporary visual languages, with initiatives aimed at markets that are increasingly attentive to artistic innovation. For this reason, cross-marketing projects have been activated with some of Veronafiere’s brands, promoting a transversal vision that combines art, culture and business. The event also consolidates the relationship with institutions and the cultural fabric of the territory, in particular with the City of Verona, the Civic Museums with the Achille Forti Gallery of Modern Art, the Cariverona Foundation, Palazzo Maffei Casa Museo, the University and the Academy of Fine Arts,” said Veronafiere President Federico Bricolo.

“The City of Verona, Civic Museums Directorate with the Achille Forti Gallery of Modern Art, is pleased to confirm its collaboration with ArtVerona, one of the most prestigious contemporary art fairs in Italy,” commented Councillor for Culture Marta Ugolini. “This ongoing synergy contributes to the City’s mission to promote and enhance contemporary art, making it accessible not only to insiders, but to all citizens. As a municipal administration, we look forward to the expansion of the fair event in the various spaces of the city, with Art&the City, realized in collaboration with Fondazione Cariverona, Palazzo Maffei Casa Museo, the University of Verona, the Academy of Fine Arts, and Urbs Picta. This year GAM and ArtVerona worked together on the curatorship of the exhibition dedicated to Mario Merz. The temporary exhibition aims to highlight a decisive author in the renewal of contemporary art. Mario Merz, for his part, contributes to the spread of new trends and experimentation in art. Through events such as the ArteMuseo Prize promoted by the artistic direction of ArtVerona and hosted in GAM, relations between museums, galleries and artists present at ArtVerona are consolidated, creating bridges between art and its different communities. The choice of a work by Jacopo Mazzonelli for the exhibition in the Notary Chapel in GAM is particularly happy in this sense, launching a bridge with the world of music, so relevant to the cultural life of our city.”

“ArtVerona and the entire city are preparing to welcome, surprise and amaze visitors through the works of more than 130 galleries from all over Italy and special projects by great international artists such as Fabio Mauri, Ugo Rondinone and Mario Merz made possible by a credibility gained over time, which makes the event an essential appointment in the fair agenda. ArtVerona is experienced as a great celebration of modern and contemporary art, capable of radiating throughout the territory,” said Stefano Raimondi, ArtVerona artistic director.

Verona kicks off the 19th edition of ArtVerona

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