The twelfth MiArt has come to a close after recording skyrocketing attendance levels, with 37,853 visitors seeing the fair compared to last year’s 32,368. Milan is reclaiming its role as Italy’s art capital through its network of galleries and collectors, as well as representatives from officialdom, which is finally playing an active role in the city’s art fair.

For a whole week beginning 28 March, with the opening of the exhibition of the Chinese avant-garde at BaseB, to 2 April, art again became the focus of the whole city, starring in a series of quality events. The exhibitions staged as a part of FuoriMiArt – which involved both galleries and art spaces from Hangar Bicocca and Triennale Bovisa to Assab One and the new Deutsche Bank premises – created a lively and irresistible festival of art.

And exhibitors at the Fair are showing all the signs of being hugely satisfied with their results. Reflecting the positive trend of the international art market, every sector of the event recorded excellent sales – despite the high valuations of the “maps” by Boetti, the works by Castellani (with prices of up to 250 thousand euros), and Fontana’s “slashes,” some monumental examples of which were valued at over two million euros. In the contemporary sector – where you could feel the euphoria over sales as early as the Vernissage – there was keen interest in the now historic works by Dorazio and Max Bill, the great German photographers from Candida Höfer to Wolfgang Tillmans, and the videos by Italian and international artists. Perhaps attracted by the Christo exhibited by Foundation Beyeler, collectors interested in historic masters were drawn like bees to honey by the works by this artist. In the Modern section, there was a real commotion over an Alberto Savinio, which went for 650 thousand euros, and a Botero, sold for 200 thousand.

And there was more commotion in the Anteprima section, where, alongside a series of curatorial projects, galleries presented experimental works with affordable price tags (up to ten thousand euros) by Italian and international artists, some of whom we’ll again be seeing at the next Biennale. This was a great opportunity for inquisitive and discerning collectors willing to trust their instincts on the great artists of tomorrow.

This year’s Guest Nation, the Netherlands, created a great deal of interest with the participation of the most prestigious galleries and the most international artists on the Dutch art scene. The event was opened on the afternoon of 29 March by Letizia Moratti, Mayor of Milan, and Maria J.A. Van der Hoeven, Dutch Minister for Economic Affairs (previously Minister for Culture).

Turning to the educational program, which saw the involvement of Italian and international art critics and curators from Ian White to Gabriella Belli, from Daniel Birnbaum to Maria Rosa Sossai, the roundtable session presented by Mimmo di Marzio was a real success. This lively discussion on the future of Milan included the participation of Daniela Benelli, Philippe Daverio, Massimo Di Carlo, Vittorio Sgarbi, Andrèe Ruth Shammah and Oliviero Toscani.

An interesting highlight of the Fair was the price reached by the Alfa Brera bronze model, made by the Alfa Romeo Style Center, auctioned by Sotheby’s for 50 thousand euros with the proceeds going to the Maternity Department of Turin's Sant’Anna hospital.

Final figures for MiArt 2007 – International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair

37,853 visitors
12,020 sq.m. (129,380 sq.ft.) of exhibition area
235 exhibitors (196 galleries, 9 institutions, 30 publishers and specialized bookshops)
890 registered journalists
7 curatorial projects: Omaggio a Mercedes Garberi (Homage to Mercedes Garberi), Arcipelago Olanda (The Netherlands archipelago), In attesa di giudizio (Awaiting judgment), Indicativo presente (Present indicative), The Video and Film Lounge, Milan Chamber of Commerce – Artegiovane Milano Award, Chiosco culturale (Culture kiosk) by Fabiana De Barros and projects presented by ART for the World Europa
10 works purchased by Vittorio Sgarbi for Comune di Milano by Stefano Mosena, Vanni Cuoghi, Nicola Samorì, Paolo Schmidlin, Davide Coltro, Greta Frau, Luigi Serafini, Paolo Cassarà, Claudia Marchetti and Danilo Buccella