Born in the Seventies among the first international art fairs of modern and contemporary art in the world, the event, stage-managed by Silvia Evangelisti, proposes a wide range of works of art from the beginning of the Twentieth century until the most recent trends; 15000 s-m of exhibition, 200 Italian and international galleries, are only a few of the numbers of this new edition.

A unique occasion to discover popular masters like Carlo Carrà, Felice Casorati, Giorgio de Chirico, Gino Severini, together with the conceptual art of Enrico Castellani, Agostino Bonalumi and Vincenzo Agnetti, or the movements of informal art of Giuseppe Capogrossi, Alberto Burri and Emilio Vedova; the Spatialism of Lucio Fontana and the Poor art of Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Gilberto Zorio – to whom the Museum of Modern Art of Bologna dedicates an important exhibition until 17th February 2010 – and the representative of the Italian Transvanguard.

Many of the works of art at the fair also offer a wider view on the international stage, with works by Antony Gormley, Wym Delvore, Per Barclay, Tony Ousler, Hans Peter Feldmann, Alfredo Jaar together with the most popular representatives of the English artistic movement like David Ockney, Gilbert&George and Tony Cragg, or the masters of photography like Thomas Russ, Anton Corbijn or Luigi Ghirri. There will also be a collection of works of artists coming from different geographical areas and investigating the state of being contemporary through the use of the most diverse artistic tools like those of the American performer Nick Cave, the installations of the Russian Peter Belvi or the material compositions of the Chinese Zhang Huan.

To the new trends, presented by the emerging Italian and international artists, is dedicated the section Young Galleries, where research galleries with under five years of experience exhibit their works with prices ranging from 500 to 10,000 euros, for collectors just getting close to art or for those who want to discover new talents.

Of course there will also be book launches, meetings and competitions.

For the second consecutive year the International Art Fair Art First dedicates the daily schedule to the theme of collecting: collectors and museum directors will debate on the interaction between private collections and museums and how they enter the Italian and international artistic stage. The goal is to stimulate a dialogue, by inviting also representatives and collectors of the Asia-pacific area due to the synergy with ShContemporary, the first contemporary art fair dedicated to the Asia-Pacific Area organized in Shanghai by the Group BolognaFiere.

The entire city of Bologna will be involved with exhibitions in museums, courts, buildings and streets of the old town. Bologna Art First, an exclusive town itinerary, is at its fifth edition and for the first time it is a project made in collaboration with Julia Draganovic. The project is conceived of as a single big collective town exhibition through a path among images of art and history and it presents from 29th January through the end of February 2010 a series of installations by artists working for the galleries taking part in the exhibition, in order to create a dialogue between contemporary art and unusual locations of the old town and surroundings.

For the third year Arte Fiera OFF will be the frame of several events like exhibitions, concerts, festivals that will take place in Bologna and Emilia Romagna during the Fair.

Saturday 30th January Art White Night turns the old town of Bologna in a big window of contemporary art with the extraordinary opening of museums, galleries, buildings, concerts and exhibitions.

www.artefiera.bolognafiere.it

Italian version

The Nineteenth Century in Italy is protagonist of many exhibitions. Until 2nd May it will be possible to visit the Art Gallery Moderna Ricci Oddi of Piacenza “Painting of Tuscany at the Ricci Oddi – Compared Collection”. On exhibition 40 oil paintings, all in little, constituting a  private collection from Lombardy. They are exceptional works of art of the nineteenth Century in Tuscany made by the main protagonists of the Macchiaioli movement. Near the well-known masters, Giovanni Fattori, Silvestro Lega, Telemaco Signorini and Vincenzo Cabianca, stands out the group of the so-called “Italians in Paris”, Giovanni Boldini, Federico Zandomeneghi and Giuseppe De Nittis. It is acknowledged that small size formats, often realized on portable tables, were created when artists worked “en plein air”, while observing and reproducing the true directly on-site, creating a genre very demanded by collectors.

In Rancate, in the Ticino canton, in on the agenda, from 20th Septemeber through 10th January, “From Fattori to Previati: a rediscovered collection – Riccardo Molo, art collector between Switzerland and Italy” at the Art gallery Giovanni Zust. Comes back, after being hidden for 75 years, the art collection of Riccardo Molo, businees man born in Ticino, active between the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century within Ticino, Berlin, Rio de la Plata, in Argentina, and especially in Italy.  Absolutely Italian is the art collection that Riccardo Molo managed to create in his villa of Balerna, throughtout the 1920s: Previati, Mosè Bianchi, Segantini, Delleani, Cabianca, Pasini, Fattori, Delbono, in a project, typical of those years, of collecting the top of every single “regional school”.
Molo’s passion for the Nineteenth century painting was expression of the general rediscover in the 1920s of the Macchiaioli and of the painting of the previous century. Moreover, taking advantage of the entry on the market of a great number of works of art by Gaetano Previati, Molo bought also few important paintings of the pointillist master, among which a preliminary version of Motherhood (1891), masterpiece in the artist’s career.

For fans of modern art, there is an event going back over the passion of a great collector and patron of arts, Francesco Martani. Here are “Classic splendours. Timeless passions at the Matilde’s court” at the Cloister of San Benedetto at San Benedetto Po from 19th September to 10th January. They have been selected works of art coming from the Italian collection of the Fondazione Ca’ La Ghironda of Zola Predosa, of the time going from the Renaissance of Bologna through three centuries of the Italian painting recalling the painting beyond the Alps.
This collection of paintings from the Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century, expresses the plurality of themes across many areas of  Italy and abroad and the high quality of the selected works: Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, il Guercino, Francesco Francia, Luca Giordano da Napoli, Giovan Battista Garulli called the Baciccio, Jan van Kessel, Anton Van Dyck are few of the artists on exhibition. The themes are various: the sacred and the profane, the still natures by Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer, the gender scenes by Todeschini, the portraits by Bernardo Strozzi and the landscapes by Peruzzini.

The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century come back, seen from a different point of view, in the historico-scientific iconographic exhibition “Galileo, Venice and the Moon”, from 27th September through 18th October at the San Servolo Island passing from 19th October through 16th November at Palazzo Zorzi in Venice to end up from December until January in Asiago. Here is again Galileo protagonist of an important exhibition. The exhibition is one of the top moments of one of the most important assizes of this International Year of Astronomy and it goes through, physically, an itinerary that from Adriatic of Venice goes up ideally to Cima Ekar on the Asiago Plateau, that is from Galilean observations of the Moon to one of the biggest Italian telescopes of the modern astronomic research. The exhibition aimes to show, through pictures of the XVI and XVII Centuries and recent pictures, the places (few of which disappeared) visited by Galileo in Venice during those eighteen years when he was teaching at the University of Padova. Are on exhibition the drawings of the moon that Galileo made when he first discovered that the Moon is not smooth and perfect as believed for almost two thousands years. There are also the numerous maps of the Moon that throughout the Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century went through the path of evolution of the Moon cartography strictly related to the improvement of the telescope optics.

To another great genius is dedicated “Leonardo’s laboratory. The codes, the machines and the drawings” at the Castello Visconteo of Vigevano from 13th September through 5th April. Thanks to advanced technologies the public will get to know the most important codes of the Great genius and unpublished physical and digital reconstructions of extraordinary instruments like the Flying Car, the mechanic Lion, besides coming in touch with drawings and paintings presented with the HyperView technology. For the first time the visitors will be able to virtually show off, thanks to the Virtual Codex technology, the Atlantic Code, the Code of Flight and the Manuscript B by Leonardo da Vinci. Will follow, in October, “Court Splendours. Sforzas, Renaissance, the City” that will analyze the bonds between the city of Vigevano, the Sforza principality, the character of Leonardo da Vinci and the artistic testimonies all over the Lomellina area.

Obviously there are as well exhibitions dedicated to the art of today, in more and less common exhibition venues. The Courthouse of Milan becomes an unusual space for contemporary art with Justice and its symbols, exhibition combining about thirty works of art by Basil Beattie, Mitsuo Miyahara and Aldo Rota, who worked using as source of inspiration the theme of justice, dialoguing with the big masterpieces located in the structure and the big materiality of the building designed by Marcello Piacentini.

Always in Milan, the Japanese Koji Yamamoto is the object of Another Nature, from 18th September through 31st October at the Lorenzelli Arte.

The monumental works of Xavier Veilhan will be protagonists, instead, in Paris, at the Versailles Royal Palace, until 13th December. “Veilhan Versailles” presents eight creations, in bronze, sheet metal and glass fibre in the gardens and on the stairs of the palace. Besides a six-horses carriage, the statue of a naked woman, statues of contemporary architects, a giant Yuri Gagarin lying near his helmet reminds the man’s greatest adventure. Who is in the French capital can admire also the exhibition of the Louvre “Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese – Rivals in Renaissance”, with works of the three Masters of the Venecian Renaissance art.

It collects more than fifty works of eleven artists, Italian and Israeli, witnessing the artistic tendencies of the generations born between the Sixties and Eighties, “CAMPOLUNGO. The sensitive horizon of the Contemporary time”. The exhibition, planned from 15th September through 10th October, at the Complesso Vittoriano of Rome, hosts works by Valerio Berruti, Enrico T. De Paris, Shay Frisch, Federico Guida, Riccardo Gusmaroli, Min Jung Kim, Francesco Lauretta, Domingo Milella, Barbara Nahmad, Sharon Pazner and Alex Pinna.
The title refers exactly to the technical expression “campo lungo”, used for a certain type of film shot. This exhibition, originated form an idea of Vittoria Coen and by the art dealer Ermanno Tedeschi, expresses the distance on which focus the attention of the selected artists. The “campo lungo” allows to see exhibited pencil and brush, oil and acrylic, straight and curved lines not proudly adverse anymore, paper, canvas, metals, materials challenging time in paintings, installations, sculpture, pictures and videos.

Obviously there are exhibitions for fashion fans. The sculpture-clothes by Roberto Capucci can be discovered from 17th September through 13th December at the Castello Odescalchi of Bracciano with “Sovereign Elegance”. Beyond sixty the creations of the tailor, in a continuous dialogue between fashion and other forms of art like the Renaissance painting, music and theatre.

Dialogue that characterizes “The Art of Fashion” from 19th September through 10th January 2010 at the museum Boijmans van Beuningen of Rotterdam.
During the exhibition time, will be commissioned special projects to artists and designers like Viktor & Rolf, Hussein Chalayan, Walter van Beirendonck, Anna Nicole Ziesche and Naomi Filmer. Moreover, the exhibition will host also works of other artists like Dai Rees, Jana Bartak, Martin Margiela.

The most beautiful creations Cartier will be protagonists in Pekin, at the Palace Museum, until 22nd November. Over 350 jewels dating back to the years between the foundation of the firm and 1970 emphasize the Chinese influence on the stylistic choices of the brand.

Tuscany Painting at the Ricci Oddi – Compared Collections
Gallery Ricci Oddi
via San Siro, 13 – Piacenza
13th September 2009 – 2nd May 2010

http://www.riccioddi.it/

From Fattori to Previati: a rediscovered collection – Riccardo Molo, art collector between Switzerland and Italiy
Pinacoteca Cantonale Giovanni Zust
Rancate (Mendrisio), Svizzera
20th September 2009- 10th January 2010
www.ti.ch/zuest
Classical Splendours. Timeless Passions atMatilde’s court
Former monastery canteen
Piazza Matilde di Canossa, San Benedetto Po (MN)
19th September 2009- 10th January 2010

http://www.classicisplendori.it/

Galileo, Venice and the Moon
Venice, Manica Lunga of the San Servolo Island, 27th September- 18th October
Venezia, Palazzo Zorzi, UNESCO Venezia, 19th October – 16th November
Asiago, Municipal Exhibition venue, December 2009 – January 2010

http://web.oapd.inaf.it/venice2009/index.php

Leonardo’s Laboratory. The codes, the machines and the drawings
Castello Visconteo (Piazza Ducale)- Vigevano
13th September 2009 – 5th April 2010
Court Splendours. Sforzas, the Renaissance, the City
Scuderie del Castello Visconteo (Piazza Ducale) – Vigevano
3th October 2009 – 31th January 2010

http://www.castellodivigevano.it/

Justice and its symbols
Courthouse
Largo Marco Biagi – Milano
24th September- 30th October 2009

http://www.b-artcontemporary.org/

Koji Yamamoto – Another Nature
Lorenzelli Arte
Corso Buenos Aires, 2 Milano
18th September until 31st October

http://www.lorenzelliarte.com/

Campolungo. L’orizzonte sensibile del Contemporaneo
Complesso del Vittoriano, Via San Pietro in Carcere (Fori Imperiali), Roma
16th September- 10th October 2009
Sovereign Elegance
Castello Odescalchi
Piazza Mazzini 14, Bracciano, Roma

http://www.odescalchi.it/

http://www.chateauversailles.fr/homepage

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en

http://www.boijmans.nl/en/

http://www.dpm.org.cn/English/

Italian version

It’s one of the most exclusive exhibition of the sector, the most important in the world for Italian art. Celebrating the 50° anniversary, it will host meetings related to the topic and a collateral exhibition dedicated to the coral of the manufacture of Trapani.

The set, looked after by the set designer Pier Luigi Pizzi, emphasizes paintings and furnishings searched for by the around ninety exhibitors, extraordinary works of art exhibited and unveiled only at the last moment.

Among the amazing works of art the views by Michele Marieschi (1710-1744), Canova and Andrea Appiani at the gallery Carlo Orsi, a terracotta cherub by Andrea della Robbia of the Trinity Fine Art, the Head of a Philosopher with a Red Hat by Giandomenico Tiepolo of the Gallery Adam Williams Fine Art of New York, the Eighteenth Century varnished chest of drawers with plan painted as fake marble with flowery decorations on the background by Domenico Piva.

Among the events, the auction of Christie’s on 26th September, with objects donated by art dealers to the benefit of the charity event Corrilavita (http://www.corrilavita.it/).

www.biennaleantiquariato.it

Italian version

The event, organized by the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, draws its success on an exhibition organized according to the specializations of the exhibitors and on the pedagogic and cultural approach.

120 exhibitors, antique dealers and galleries, coming from all over the world, ready to show to the public high quality objects, with the theme “Contemporary passions and value of time”. Over an area of 3,800 s-m will be exhibited different kinds of items, coming from different periods including modern and contemporary works of art, ranging from drawings, sculptures, paintings, jewels, silverware, watches, fabrics, manuscripts and books, coins, stamps, ceramics, porcelains, primitive art and much more.

Among the exhibitors Cartier, la Fondation de la Haute-Horlogerie, IWC, Jaeger-Lecoultre and Montblanc.
Obviously there will be as well cultural events dedicated to fans and professionals.

Le Salon du Collectionneur – Antiquaires & Galeries D’Art
11th-20th September
Grand Palais of Paris
http://www.sdcfrance.eu/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=1&lg=en

Italian version

Among the big artists that will be on the stage in Bonn, since 4th September until 3rd October, there are, for instance, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, as a tribute to the baroque music with the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists, Valery Gergiev, who will assist Alexei Volodin at the piano and the London Symphony Orchestra, Maurizio Pollini, Krzysztof Penderecki, with Rudolf Buchbinder, at the piano and the Sinfonia Varsovia, Kent Nagano, leading the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, for the grand final. Other excellent names of the music panorama at the Beethovenfest include, among the others, David Garrett, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Paavo Järvi, Sol Gabetta, Ingo Metzmacher.

In the year of the celebrations of the 60° anniversary of the birth of the Federal Republic of Germany, guest of honour the Chancellor Angela Merkel, the former capital Bonn celebrates, Sunday 6th September, with fourteen one-hour concerts in six politically-significant venues, like the museum Haus der Geschichte, dedicated to the national history, and the old venue of the Federal Council.

The concerts and the exhibitions of the Beethovenfest will take place in very different places: in the concert hall Beethovenhalle, at the Bonn Opera, at Beethoven’s house, in the old venue of the Federal Council, in some of the most modern museums of the city. During the 30 days of the festival Bonn turns into a big open theatre, live and rich of events.

www.beethovenfest.de
www.germanwings.com
Italian version

Today almost no one relates this perfume to the German city on the Rein. But it is exactly here that, three hundreds years ago, the fragrance was born, that since then became very popular at the European courts, appreciated by very distinguished people and, for many, synonym of freshness and personal care.

“My perfume is like an Italian dawn at spring after the rain: it recalls oranges, lemons, grapefruits, bergamots, ciders, flowers and the aromatic herbs of my land. It refreshes me and stimulates senses and fantasy”, used to say his creator, the Italian Gian Maria Farina.

The perfumer migrated from Santa Maria Maggiore, in the mountains of Piedmont, to Cologne, where he reached his brother, at the beginning of the XVIII century. His intuition led him to create a revolutionary fragrance, totally different from the existing ones back then, that seduced Goethe and Napoleon.

The city of the Dom dedicated to Gian Maria Farina a statue on the tower of its city hall. The Farina Haus is the most ancient perfumery firm of the world – year of foundation 1709 – and today it hosts a Museum of Perfume, where to live once again the history of fragrance. In the laboratory of the perfumer the guests are introduced to the secrets of the creation of the perfume, from the choice of the ingredients, to the art of distillation and to the technique of the enfleurage. In the cellar of the house where once the Eau de Cologne was produced there is an ancient cider barrel once used to preserve the perfume and today still intact. The visit to the Museum is an excursus in the culture of the perfume and in the life of Gian Maria Farina that, personified by a tour guide/actor, leads to his rooms those who want to know his personal adventure.

4711
With the creation of Gian Maria Farina in Europe the fashion of the Eau de Cologne spread. Very high is the demand and innumerable the copies and reproduction. The perfume 4711 is perhaps the most famous and spread variant. It is said that Wilhelm Muehlens, founder of the house, bought the recipe from a monk. In 1820 it was created the bottle – called Molanus – that facilitates the storage and the usage of the Eau de Cologne, and that is still used today for the product 4711 – True Eau de Cologne. Today the house of Glockengasse hosts a shop/museum, with a fountain made of Eau de Cologne, where there are also guided tours and seminars on the perfume.

Farina Haus
(www.farine.eu)
The Museum of the perfume Farina Haus, in the historical place in Obermansforten 21, in front of the city hall, is open from Monday to Saturday (10am to 6pm) and on Sunday (11am to 4pm). There are audio guides available also in Italian. Who wants to have a guided tour ( even masked on Thursday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday) is recommended to book in advance, by writing at museum@farina-haus.de, or by calling 0049 (0)221-399 89 94.

Glockengasse 4711
(www.glockengasse.de; www.4711.com)
The shop 4711 in Glockengasse is open from Monday to Friday (9am to 7pm) and on Sunday (9am to 6pm). Every Saturday, at 1pm, a group tour is planned. The shop is available also for private tours and for seminars dedicated to the world of the perfume. On the first floor of the shop there are temporary exhibitions, events and musical events. Information at kundenkontakt@galerie-glockengasse.de, or calling at 0049 (0) 221 270999 10

www.germanwings.com

Italian version

The exhibition Undercover will be inaugurated on 12th June and will pay tribute to the world of lingerie and to its development over the last years. Among the names represented will be present M&S, Triumph, Christian Dior, ElleMacpherson, Myla and Wonderbra and, for the occasion, La Perla created two pieces in limited edition to be purchased only in the Museum and whose proceeds will be made over to the benefit of Breast Cancer Care.

Italian version

The Cannes film festival has come: why not take advantage of the sumptuous Event to discover Provence, its villages and environments?

From Cannes the trip heads to Aix-en-Provence, the old capital of Provence that with its soft landscapes, its fountains and palaces was the protagonist of Cezanne’s canvases and of the Plassans by Emile Zola. The Latin name “Aquea Sextiae” comes from the richness of its thermal springs, well known since old times. Still today you can enjoy such richness at the Thermes Sextius (www.thermes-sextius.com), wellness centre rising at the very heart of Aix where until the XIX century the ancient roman thermal baths were located. Water is the characteristic element of the city: it spurts out of the 40 civic fountains, true masterpieces of urban décor. Here mentioned are the three fountains of the Cours Mirabeau, the Champs Elisee of Aix, called: “des Neuf Canons”,  “d’Eau Chaud”, “du roi René” (from the name of the good king that introduced the Muscat). This pleasant sound delights the walk in the city centre, characterized by the “hÔtel particuliers”, Saint Saveur Cathedral (not to be missed is the Romanic cloister and the Merovingian baptistery), and the square of the Hôtel-de-Ville whose clock tower is embellished by four wooden statues, showing up one by one according to the season. After a break in one of the numerous cafes of the square, we suggest a stop at the Cezanne’s atelier, today turned into a maison-museum from which it’s still possible to observe the silhouette of the Sainte Victoire Mountain, recurrent theme of the great post-impressionist master (an exhibition celebrates his masterpieces, together with Picasso’s, from 25th May to 25th September: www.atelier-cezanne.com). At the Musée Granet it’s possible to visit a few canvases by Cèzanne, but to fully appreciate the atmosphere of Aix-en-Provence, we suggest a visit to the Museum des Tapisseries, the Musée du Vieil Aix, Provencal products’ markets (the marché provenzal with olives, aromatic herbs, cheeses, honey and marmalades), and the International Lyric Festival that in July livens up Aix-en-Provence with its elegance (www.aixenprovencetourism.com).

Getting out of this pout pourri of beauty and architecture, lavender and thyme fields welcome the visitor, at times interrupted by bastides, enchanting Provencal residences.

On the way, it’s a must a stop in Arles, a city that from the roman times to the late nineteen hundred frames almost the entire journey of western Art. Here you can find the wonderful roman amphitheatre dating back to the I century and a Theatre dating back to Augustus times that was probably able to host 12thousand visitors at any time. But Arles is also home of extraordinary examples of Romanic-Provencal art such as the Saint-Trophime church whose marvellous portal (1178) carries the incision of the Last Judgement, the Twelve Apostles, the Annunciation and the Nativity. Crossed the threshold in front of you opens up a casket to be discovered, characterized by a XII-XV century cloister, in Romanic-Provencal style with richly decorated capitals. We have to remember this is the place where Vincent Van Gogh lived, “Arles’ master”. If today you happen to be on Place Lamartine, now home of the Musée Départemental de l’Arles Antique, try to imagine the famous yellow house in which Vincent Van Gogh lived from February 1888, until the first months of 1889. The same house that inspired numerous painting of the master and that also hosted the friend Gaugin – it is here that the famous episode of the ear cutting occurred.

Heading east, a must-visit is the Pope Palace in Avignon, built in 1309 and still today one of the greatest gothic palaces in Europe. We also suggest a visit at Digne-les-Bains, a little village on the river Bléone, well-known for its baths and thermes. The city boasts another miracle of gothic architecture, the Notre-Dame-du-Bourg Cathedral, and an extraordinary collection of aromatic plants at the recently-set-up botanic garden of the Cordeliers. We anticipate that at the beginning of August, Digne entirely becomes one with the landscape, in a jubilation perfumes and colours in occasion of the local lavender feast. This little centre is indeed located in the very heart of lavenders’ cultivation, and from here you can observe wonderful endless expanses of fields that since 1981 deserve the name AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée). Today there are proper routes to travel in order to inhale the very peculiar lavender’s scent (www.grande-traversee-alpes.com/fr/je-voyage/par-la-route/la-route-de-la-lavande), while listening to cicadas’ creaking – other significant Provencal icon. For those wishing to deepen the knowledge on lavender and its perfumes, Grasse is one of the most renowned centres with a Museum entirely dedicated to this.

Coastal cities too – Marseille, Martiguees and Saints Maries Sur La Mer – maintain their own peculiarities that to coloured houses, to picturesque little ports and to an excellent sea gastronomy. The sea itself is absolutely crystal clear and though it’s geographically near to the Cote d’Azur and Cannes, it is a true peaceful paradise that doesn’t share anything with mundane with it.

Italian version

Lacquered bracelets born from exploring the traditional handcraftsmanship, such as the Urushi (Japanese word that means “lacquer”), a complex process including seventy passages of natural lacquer on Japanese wood carved and sculpted. From this art derive also the bangles in 24k gold, and black or red lacquer.

The classical heart shape becomes fluid and light in the Open Heart Pendant, while the silver Bottle Pendant is inspired by 1960s Portofino. The women who visited the city were amazing, wrapped in their Pucci silk dresses, each holding a gardenia in their hand. Thus, Elsa Peretti found a way to wear her gardenia, holding it on the waste: a small silver bottle to put on the neck.

Italian version

Two hundred and fifty applications submitted from all over the world, 24 countries represented at the stands and over 110 art galleries world wide famous with a registered increase compared to last year, due to the great visibility obtained in the very edition 2008.

Contemporary art, new names and the most longed for creations of the 20th century authors aim at appealing Asian collectors interested in the western creativity. But Art HK 09 is also meant to be a showcase for an international audience that appreciates inedited international works of art coming from Asia and from the rest of the world.

A melting pot of cultures meeting in Hong Kong, cosmopolitan city par excellence that strategically invested on cultural institutions to organize the set up of the Fair. Schools, universities, museums and art no-profit organizations have been called upon to interact with the organization to establish a calendar of forums, events, conferences and guided tours.

Hong Kong as cultural cradle and inexhaustible resource even in this moment of economic crisis, as declared by the Fair Director, Magnus Renfrew: “Asia is more and more overlooking the global context and it will play an ever increasing role both in cultural and economic terms in the future; general consensus is that Hong Kong will consolidate its position as the centre of the artistic market of the area”. He added: “Hong Kong and Asia are still young and have great growth potential. The number of applicants at the fair has grown compared to last year and the reason is that there is a new interest towards exploring the Asian market”.

In virtue of its projection towards the future, this second edition presents Art Future, the initiative promoting only 13 art galleries selected among those who have been active within the market for only 5 years. A real launch pad for young artists who have the chance to meet some among the most prestigious art galleries in the world, such as White Cube and Lisson Gallery of London, Galleria Continua (Italy) and the guests coming from Pechino, Shanghai, Seul, Mexico City, Santa Fe, Jakarta, Tokyo, Taipei, Mumbai, Dubai, Karachi, Sidney, San Francisco, Vancouver, Helsinki, Colone, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Zurich, Edinburgh, Paris, Vienna and Rome.

For further information or tickets reservation:
www.hongkongartfair.com/2009/index.php

Italian version

In fact, from 4th May and on the following three Mondays of the month, the prestigious museum inaugurates a weekly appointment with happyspritz@guggenheim.

On 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th May, from 6.30pm to 9pm, the museum’s gardens will resonate of music and art, so to bring back the time when the American collector Peggy Guggenheim used to welcome guests and entertain them in the location which is today one of the most important ones dedicated to contemporary art.

Almost to live again those golden years, but at the same token in the name of tradition – the classical Venetian drink “Spritz” – the Peggy Guggenheim Collection will be exceptionally open in the evening to give the chance to visit the collection and the contemporary exhibition in an unusual and definitely exclusive situation.

A multi-sensorial occasion, thought through to live in a dynamic way the reality of the museum, not only for fans of paintings and easels, but also for youngsters who want to savour the masterpieces of the collection together with friends, having in the background some DJs selected  by the Nu Festival by Veneto Jazz and Radio Ca’ Foscari – Without Title. Among the parallel initiatives, the Guggenheim suggests a round of four conferences at the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere e Arti in campo Santo Stefano, 2847, on 6th, 13th, 20th and 28th May, at 7pm, in preparation to the exhibition-event Robert Rauschenberg: Gluts, that will open on 30th May.

For further information:
041.2405440/ 427/ 415
info@guggenheim-venice.it

Italian version