Art galleries to Franceschini: without action, the sector risks collapse

The National Association of Modern and Contemporary Art Galleries (ANGAMC), the main national association that brings together commercial galleries, has written a letter to Culture Minister Dario Franceschini to call the government’s attention to the need to give concrete answers to the Italian art system and in particular to the gallery sector, through the implementation of strategic actions and the planning of interventions aimed at a rapid recovery of investments in the sector.

The galleries are appealing to Franceschini because there is a need to give life to a more competitive art system, and this one year after the previous letter: the president of ANGAMC, Mauro Stefanini, and the board of directors of the association have therefore deemed it necessary and urgent to address the minister once again, out of respect for the members and for the entire category, made up of economic subjects, but also cultural operators, who play a fundamental role in promoting and supporting artists and the territories in which they operate. The art galleries are, in fact, enterprises rooted in the territory, even in places where there are no public exhibition spaces dedicated to art: it is a system that realizes about 5,000 exhibitions each year, employing an indicative number of 10,000 workers (including gallery assistants, artists, curators, restorers, specialized transporters, press officers and so on). This is a sector that generates a large volume of business, with important spillovers to other areas of the economy as well, such as hotels, restaurants and fairs. The restrictive measures, the closures of exhibition spaces and the suspension of fair events have compromised the activity of many art galleries, especially in the contemporary sector, which, with their activity, are among the main supporters of young artists.

“The art market,” Mauro Stefanini points out in the letter sent to the minister, “is a global and competitive market in which Italy has often found itself on the sidelines due to restrictive and anachronistic regulations already outdated in other competing countries. A clear example is offered by the serious problems generated by the failure to implement the reform introduced by Law No. 124 of August 4, 2017 (the so-called Competition Law). In this case, in the face of a laudable attempt to reform the sector in a liberal and European sense, we find that much of the guidance contained therein is still largely disregarded. To date, multiple interpretations of the law are rampant, making it impossible to operate clearly and effectively and producing a considerable increase in administrative litigation.”

Already last year the sector had reported the difficulties to Minister Franceschini, through the main art market operators in Italy gathered in a special working group called the Apollo Project. With the new letter sent to the minister on April 14, the LANGAMC stresses the urgency of resuming a dialogue with institutions and politics, putting on the table for discussion vital issues for art galleries, such as Art Bonus, VAT first market, VAT imports, SIAE/resale right, which have already been brought to the attention of the Ministry of Culture in the past.

“The dramatic and complicated situation we are experiencing,” the letter concludes, “can only be addressed by implementing strategic actions and planning interventions aimed at a rapid recovery of investments in the sector.” For this reason, according to ANGAMC, the minister’s willingness to listen to the requests of art galleries “is an indispensable step to be able to build together the future revitalization of the Art system.”

Pictured: the ANGAMC booth at the 2019 edition of Arte Fiera in Bologna.

Art galleries to Franceschini: without action, the sector risks collapse

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