Established section

Organised by Fiera Milano, miart, Milan’s international fair of modern and contemporary art, returns from April 4–6, 2025 (with a VIP preview on Thursday April 3) at Allianz MiCo. The 29th edition welcomes 179 galleries from 31 countries and five continents divided into three sections, the two curated sections, Emergent and Portal, and, as per tradition, Established, the main selection of the fair which, with 144 galleries divided into 142 projects, offers a highly curated selection ranging from the great masters of modern art alongside contemporary practices with many museum-quality projects that confirm the central role of this event in the international fair scene.

By walking through the stands of Established, one can find a wide range of themes and threads of artistic research. Many intergenerational dialogues takes place: for instance, Esther Schipper (Berlin, Paris, Seoul) juxtaposes Stefan Bertalan’s historic works with new pieces by Anicka Yi; Andrew Kreps Gallery (New York) stages a conversation between Chiara Camoni and Raymond Saunders; MASSIMODECARLO (Milan, London, Hong Kong, Paris, Beijing) presents a dialogue between artists such as Elmgreen & Dragset and Paola Pivi. Solo shows are also well represented, from the one dedicated to Reina Sugihara featured by Arcadia Missa (London) + MISAKO & ROSEN (Tokyo), to the focus on Maria Hassabi by The Breeder (Athens).

The fair features a significant number of museum-calibre projects that chart the major artistic movements of the past century: Avantgarde Gallery (Zagreb) displays the Croatian neo-avant-garde of the 1960s, Gió Marconi (Milan) offers an Italian perspective on Pop Art through a stand dedicated entirely to Valerio Adami, while the surrealist works by Joan Miró are presented by Tornabuoni Arte (Florence, Milan, Rome, Forte dei Marmi, Paris, Crans Montana).

The Established section also complements Milan’s wider institutional programme for Milano Art Week 2025. For instance, Cardi Gallery (London, Milan) dedicates its entire stand to Ugo Rondinone, whose solo exhibition is concurrently showing at the GAM–Galleria d’Arte Moderna; Ben Brown Fine Arts (London, Hong Kong, Venice) exhibits works by Candida Höfer, also featured in the Typologien group show at Fondazione Prada; Thomas Brambilla (Bergamo) showcases works and wall paintings by John Giorno, whose exhibition runs simultaneously at Triennale Milano; Adrian Paci, the focus of a major solo show at MUDEC, features in projects by kaufmann repetto (Milan, New York) and Galerie Peter Kilchmann (Zurich, Paris).

The curatorial theme of miart 2025, among friends, has inspired several projects throughout the fair:  Erica Ravenna (Rome) dedicates her stand to Vincenzo Agnetti and his “spontaneous interventions for friends” and Atipografia (Arzignano, Milan) stages a dialogue between three artists in a project titled “Stellar Friendship”. Meyer Riegger (Berlin, Karlsruhe, Basel, Seoul) reflects on interpersonal connections, while MAAB Gallery (Milan) invites visitors into the world of collaborative practice embodied by Bob and Roberta Smith.

Also noteworthy are the projects of Frittelli arte contemporanea (Florence) that draws inspiration from the groundbreaking 1978 exhibition Materializzazione del linguaggio and Raffaella Cortese (Milan, Albisola) presents a curatorial project dedicated to the theme of utopia through the works of six artists, such as Monica Bonvicini, whose performative installation You to Me will be activated during the fair’s public days.

Photography plays a key role in many of the galleries’ booths. Galleria Giampaolo Abbondio (Milan, Todi) pays tribute to the American photographer Nan Goldin with a solo show, a joint project by Madragoa (Lisbon) and Dawid Radziszewski (Warsaw, Vienna) is marked by black-and-white images from Joanna Piotrowska, while Mai 36 Galerie (Zurich, Madrid) creates a dialogue between Jacopo Benassi’s anti-conformist photography and Luigi Ghirri’s poetic imagery.

Also within this section, the Timescape project offers visitors an imaginative journey through time—starting in the early 20th century and moving through to contemporary practice. Among these Galleria Carlo Virgilio & C. (Rome) presents a remarkable 1912 work on paper by Egon Schiele; ED Gallery (Piacenza) focuses on artists rejected by the 1914 Venice Biennale, focusing on applied arts—a theme recently explored in the Art Deco exhibition at Palazzo Reale while REVE ART (Bologna, Reggio Emilia) examines Venetian Renewal Painting. Artemisia Fine Art (Borgo Maggiore) explores the metaphysical visions of Giorgio de Chirico and MAURIZIO NOBILE FINE ART (Bologna, Paris, Milan) rediscovers the work of sculptor Luciano Minguzzi, famed for creating the Fifth Door of Milan Cathedral in the 1950s.

Those listed are just a few examples of the projects at miart 2025, the complete list of participating galleries can be found here.