Fondazione for art and culture

Over the last few years, Fondazione Fiera Milano, consistent with its statutory mission of economic, social and cultural development, has expanded its artistic portfolio through valuable acquisitions. It now owns a significant collection of contemporary works of art, held in two special collections.

The Associazione Amici di MiArt association was founded in 2008 by six founding members: Fondazione Fiera Milano, Fiera Milano spa, Fiera Milano International, Lombardy Region, Chamber of Commerce and Banca Popolare di Milano. It has supported and promoted contemporary art through the acquisition of works exhibited at miart – the international modern and contemporary art fair. The specific aim of the non-profit association was to create an incentive for galleries to exhibit works of high quality, thereby elevating the quality of the fair itself.
Between 2008 and 2012, the Associazione Amici di MiArt association invested approximately 300,000 Euros in the acquisition of about 40 works of art.
In 2017 the Associazione Amici di Miart association was put into liquidation due to discontinuation of business and Fondazione Fiera Milano acquired all of its works, thus contributing to increasing the artistic assets of the Fondazione.

In 2010, Fondazione Fiera Milano established an annual fund for the purchase of one or more works of art with the aim of developing and expanding its artistic holdings. With these acquisitions, Fondazione validates its commitment to support the world of art, consistent with its own statutory mission of economic, social and cultural development. The initiative to acquire works of art at miart the International Modern and Contemporary Art exhibition (a brand that is the property of the Fiera Milano SpA Group) – is also made with the intention of contributing to and supporting the fair, which is a major attraction for Milan. The “Gianpiero Cantoni” acquisition fund, whose value has doubled over the years – from 50 to 100 thousand Euros – was named to honor the memory of the man who was the Foundation Chairman at the time it was established.
All the works acquired through the  Fund are currently kept at the Palazzina degli Orafi, Fondazione headquarters in largo Domodossola. Each year an international jury coordinated by the Chairman of Fondazione Fiera Milano selects the works to be acquired. Choice is focused on works by young artists who express themselves through experimental languages.

The Fondazione Fiera Milano art collection made its debut at Gallerie d’Italia with the exhibition Prospettiva Arte Contemporanea. La Collezione di Fondazione Fiera Milano. Organised in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo, the show was on display from 14 March to 7 May 2019 in the Sala delle Colonne.  Prospettiva Arte Contemporanea presented for the first time to the public the artworks that Fondazione Fiera Milano has acquired at miart, the international fair of modern and contemporary art. The purpose of the exhibition is to highlight the diverse languages, materials, and provenances of the foundation’s acquisitions since 2012.
The 43 artworks on display have been selected by Fondazione Fiera from among the 82 works of the collection in order to provide a significant sample of the international artistic scene from the second half of the twentieth century to the present day. The layout design, curated by architect Andrea Anastasio, recalls an imaginary domus, with a sequence of rooms and niches that reveal while also protecting the artworks.