Everything you need to know about miart 2025, april 4-6 in Milan

miart is returning to the spotlight, reaffirming its importance within the European art fair scene. The 29th edition of this prestigious international modern and contemporary art fair will take place from April 4 to 6, 2025, at the Allianz MiCo. This year’s fair will present a carefully curated mix of prominent Italian galleries alongside some of the most respected galleries from five continents. Organized by Fiera Milano and under the direction of Nicola Ricciardi, miart continues to foster new synergies and connections - an ethos reflected in the theme of this edition, “Among Friends” - which also draws inspiration from the recent retrospective on the American artist Robert Rauschenberg, marking the centenary of his birth.


Campaign images. Photo courtesy of Marton Perlaki e Dodi Vekony

Divided into three sections - Established, Emergent, and Portal - the works showcased at miart will span a wide temporal range, from masterpieces from the First and Second Centuries to contemporary works addressing current global issues. The fair will also feature presentations focused on designer furniture and a tribute to Italian Masters. Noteworthy returns and new gallery participants include Ben Brown Fine Arts, Sadie Coles HQ, MASSIMODECARLO, Meyer Riegger, Victoria Miro, and Esther Schipper. A comprehensive list of all the galleries can be found here.


Photo courtesy of Estate Birgit Jürgenssen (left), Carlo Favero (right)

Miart aims to further strengthen the network of relationships cultivated over the years, positioning itself as a catalyst for an ideal contemporary arts festival in Milan. In line with the theme “Among Friends,” this vision extends to a series of initiatives supported by all key stakeholders in the art ecosystemgalleries, fairs, institutions, artists, curators, and collectors alike. One of the highlights is the Talks Among Friends programme, developed in partnership with Fondazione Prada, Museo del Novecento, PAC, Pirelli Hangar Bicocca, and Triennale Milano.


Photo courtesy of Carlo Favero

As Tommaso Sacchi, Assessor for Culture of the City of Milan, noted during the miart press conference and later reiterated in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore: “The Salone del Mobile, in conjunction with the Fuorisalone, has over the years been the cornerstone of what we now call ‘diffused weeks,’ tied to major trade fair events. These have demonstrated that there is a business moment that takes place in designated locations—the fairgrounds—and simultaneously, there are other contexts that contribute something different, not in opposition to the fair itself but complementary to it, so much so that they become just as significant as the primary business context.” In this spirit, miart and Fiera Milano are committed to extending their reach beyond the fairgrounds through collaborations with the Comune di Milano and various cultural institutions, culminating in the realization of Milano Art Week, which will run from April 1 to 6.


Photo courtesy of Photo courtesy of The Breeder, Athens

Curated by Nicola Ricciardi, “John Giorno: A Labour of LOVE” will be the first exhibition in Italy dedicated to the archive of the American poet and performer, opening on March 15 at Triennale Milano. During the fair, the Museo del Novecento will present “Rauschenberg e il Novecento”, a significant exhibition curated by Gianfranco Maraniello, Nicola Ricciardi, and Viviana Bertanzetti, which explores eight works created by Rauschenberg in the 1970s and 1980s, offering a dialogue between these and major Italian 20th-century movements, from Futurism to Arte Povera.


Photo courtesy of The Artist and ChertLüdde, Berlin

Other notable projects to be featured throughout Milan during Art Week include Shirin Neshat's first major solo exhibition in Italy at PAC (Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea), offering a compelling reflection on contemporary identities and contradictions. Nico Vascellari will present a site-specific exhibition at the Sala delle Cariatidi in the Palazzo Reale, engaging with the history and architecture of the space. In partnership with Comune di Milano | Cultura and Salone del Mobile.Milano, “Bob Wilson: Mother”, an installation at the Pietà Museum in Castello Sforzesco, will open on April 6, creating a dialogue with Michelangelo's Pietà Rondanini. Additionally, the Gallerie d'Italia will host a selection of Robert Rauschenberg's masterpieces from the Luigi and Peppino Agrati Collection, now part of Intesa Sanpaolo’s art heritage.