From Raffaello Gambogi (macchiaiolo) to street art. Over 600 works including Mario Schifano, Franco Angeli, Gianfranco Baruchello, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Kiki Smith, Marina Abramovićin on display… but also for sale.
A unique opportunity for collectors to spend a weekend full of passion for modern and contemporary art with the Lucca Art Fair, the fair, which has reached its eighth edition this year and opened its doors today (19 April) at the Real Collegio where it will continue until 21 April, the only accredited event in Central Italy. Cutting the ribbon were the councilor for productive activities, Paola Granucci and Paolo Batoni director of Lucca Art Fair and Francesco Franceschini of the Real Collegio.
As many as 51 art galleries (including foreign ones) have met for this great new edition promoted by Toe and which are divided into 4 sections, bringing together around 400 artists: the consolidated Main Section, Art Projects, Independent and the new fourth section entirely dedicated to independent publishing and artists’ books, The Artist’s Book Section.
There main section, the strong point of the event, involves thirty-four galleries consolidated on the national scene. The presence of painting and sculpture is prevalent, in line with the proposal of international fairs. In the proposed itinerary, the exhibition project of the stands out among local projects 800/900 Art Studio gallery, which presents a series of works by the painter Alfredo Meschi (Lucca 1905 – 1981), often referred to as an artistic symbol of Lucca. Meschi has in fact dedicated much of his work to capturing the urban and rural essence of the city. What emerges next to the exhibiting reality of Lucca is the Brugiati Gallerywith one of works of an existential nature by the Versilia artist Giovanni Raffaelli.
There is no lack of international inspiration, an example of which is the gallery Belgrade prototypewhich presents a focus composed of photographs, drawings, video works, but also documents, recordings of performances and actions of the Conceptual of Belgradea group of six artists known and recognized throughout the world, composed of Marina Abramovic, Dragoljub Rasa Todosijevic, Nesa Paripovic, Zoran Popovié, Era Milivojevió and Gergelj Urkom, who gathered around the newly created gallery of the Belgrade Student Cultural Center established themselves on the world art scene of the Seventies and Eighties. Concluding the exhibition overview is the Street Levels Gallery, which offers a cross-section of the Italian and international urban art movement with its artists: Ache77, Exit Enter, James Vega, Kraita317, Monograff, Nian.
Lucca Art Fair enriches his journey with sections Art Projects And Independent which are reserved for proposal galleries and non-profit organisations, committed to connecting the most innovative languages and intergenerational dialogue. Among these we highlight the Siena Art Institute, an art school of international scope which from its green city headquarters brings to the fair a small hub of practices and experiences to establish a dialogue with professionals, works and curious people. The institute intends to open its founding values to the world of the art market, such as attention to social practices, accessibility, technical excellence, cultural welfare, exchange between cultures and environmental sustainability. The school’s participation supports the concept of the art fair as a place of exchange and sharing, without giving up its economic nature.
The fourth and new section, Editor – The Artist’s Books Section, entirely dedicated to independent publishing and artists’ books, intends to bring out the kaleidoscopic peculiarities of this aesthetic object which in itself constitutes a platform for dialogue between the arts and comparison between simultaneous perspectives. The range of participants brings together ten realities from different regions, constituting an essay on the variety of perspectives with the aim of recounting the exchange between publishers and artists in the experimentation of new creative paths. Independent publishing houses will be present such as Casa Editrice Peacock (Galzignano Terme, Padua), Forma Edizioni (Florence), Giostre Edizioni (Colle Val d’Elsa, Siena), Maschietto Editore (Florence) and Ronzani Editore (Rome). Cultural ateliers and independent artists such as Sincresis (Empoli, Florence), APRI (Bologna), Giorgia Abbati (Colorno, Parma), Laura Castellucci (Florence), Letizia Ardillo (Rome) will also participate.
This year the exhibition itinerary of the fair and the investigation into the ways in which the most diverse languages of contemporary art meet are completed by That’s Contemporary! A call for video artistsa project entirely dedicated to artist videos, which arrives at its second exhibition at the fair, after the first Cremona Art Fair 2024. The starting call, curated by Bianca Basile and Camilla Remondina, in collaboration with the artistic direction of the Combat Prize, was aimed at all artists who wanted to represent the contemporary through video, a medium that more easily than others combines the disciplines that characterize, they investigate and represent this temporal concept that summarizes the times, giving them a synchronic and current image. Of the two hundred candidate works, the ten that most forcefully show personal and different readings of contemporaneity were selected. Together, the selected works interpret the present as a multifocal lens.
“It is not possible to identify a single stylistic or thought current underlying the recent trends in video art – comment the curators Bianca Basile and Camilla Remondina – for this reason we have selected ten works that can provide a sampling of the most significant themes and genres. In these works, we have noticed a particular urgency to communicate sensations and reflections that have as their object the current condition of the human being, in relation to the problems that are characterizing the present globally”.
Finally, to fully appreciate the works on display and get to know the artists represented up close, Free guided tours are provided along the exhibition itinerary of the fair, aimed at bringing the general public closer to the world of art collecting. The project is curated by Francesca Baboni. It is possible to book by writing to [email protected]. The event will remain open today (19 April) from 3pm to 8pm (ticket 5 euros), tomorrow from 10am to 8pm and Sunday from 10am to 7pm (tickets 10 full, and 8 reduced for residents of the province, groups of at least 10, people with disabilities and over 65s, 5 euros for students). Free entry for children up to 12 years old.
Here are the galleries present at the fair
Main Section: 800/900 Art Studio, Lucca, AD Gallery, Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Antigallery, Venezia – Mestre (VE), ArmandaGoriArte, Prato, Art Lab, Treviso, Art Shop, Pistoia, ArteA Gallery, Milan, Artenetwork Orler, Marcon (VE), Big Eyes Art Gallery, Bologna, Billyrayart, Milan, Daliano Ribani Arte, Carrara, Di Mauer Arte Contemporanea, Prato, DI Arte, Milan, HR Doks Gallery, Turin Brugiati Art Gallery, Monterotondo (Rome), Gallery of the Roman Theatre, Fiesole (FI), Gallery of Visions, Piacenza, Galleria Granelli, Castiglioncello (LI), Gallerie Reflektor, UZice (RS), Giannini Franco contemporary art, Soiano del Lago (BS), Guastalla Centro Arte, Livorno, Laboratory 31 Art Gallery, Bergamo, LDXArtodrome Gallery, Berlin, Marco Orler international Gallery, Oriago di Mira (VE), Monocromo Contemporary Art, Rome, Oil on Panel, Lucca, Prototip, Belgrade (RS) RL51, Pietrasanta (LU), Schiavano Antonio Fine Art, Milan, Soave Arte, Alessandria, Stazione Arte Contemporary, Milan, Street Levels Gallery, Florence, Studio Pivuelle Arte, San Giovanni Valdarno (AR), Veridieci, Palazzolo sull’Oglio (BS).
Art Projects: FormaPop Gallery, Rome, Siena Art Institute, Siena, Studio Godot, Castellina Marittima (PI)
Independent: Studio Mariangela Fremura, Livorno, Studio Cristina Sammarco, Marcianalsola d’Elba, Studio Riccardo Raul Papavero, Varese, Studio Valeska Von Brase, Monaco
Editor – The Artists’ Books Section: APRI, Bologna, Casa Editrice Peacock, Galzignano Terme (PD), Forma Edizioni, Florence, Giorgia Abbati, Colorno (PR), Giostre Edizioni, Colle Val d’Elsa (SI), Laura Castellucci, Florence, Letizia Ardillo, Rome, Maschietto Editore, Florence, Ronzani Editore, Dueville (VI), Sincresis, Empoli (FI)
That’s Contemporary! A call for video arts: Matteo Campulla, Monica Carrera, Leila Erdman-Tabukashvili, Luca Granato, Susana Ljuljanovic, Eleonora Roaro, Antti Tanttu, Vaste Programme, Sabrina Zanolini, Marzio Zorio
Tags: Lucca Art Fair works display Real Collegio doors art fair open
