Arte Fiera 2025: the Italian art scene is back amid fears about disadvantageous VAT rates on artworks

Italy’s longest-running art fair, Arte Fiera, just closed its doors of its 48th edition in Bologna after a four-day long programme of events, talks, shows and a full city-wide line-up of galleries presentations, outdoor and public art. Arte Fiera’s Main Section, divided as always into post-war and contemporary art, was complemented by four invitation-only curated sections: Photography and moving images, Multiples, Pittura XXI and the brand-new section Prospettiva, devoted to emerging artists, represented by both new and established galleries.
Photography and moving images was curated for the third year by Giangavino Pazzola, curator of Camera – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia in Turin. For the second year in a row, Multiples was curated by Alberto Salvadori, critic and art historian. Davide Ferri, art critic and independent curator specializing in contemporary painting, has been the curator of Pittura XXI since its first edition. The debut of Prospettiva has been entrusted to Michele D’Aurizio, curator and critic working in Italy and in the United States. Alongside the curated sections, the Percorso thread unfolded throughout the Main Section as well as in the curated sections, creating a thematic link among the works on display. This year’s theme was ‘Community’, after the previous two years were devoted to artistic forms (Ceramics in 2023 and Drawing in 2024).

Arte Fiera 48 marked a handover in the direction of the show after three successful years led by Simone Menegoi (artistic director) and Enea Righi (Operations Director), who have pursued the aim of reaffirming the place of the Bolognese event at the heart of the XX and XXI century Italian art market.
Next year’s edition will be directed by independent curator and art critic Davide Ferri, who’s been the curator of the Pittura XXI section since 2020 as well as of the special project Solo Figura e sfondo in 2019. Arte Fiera 2025 showcased a wide range of artistic offerings on display, ranging from accessible works and multiple artworks, to creations by emerging artists, through to masterpieces by great masters of modern and contemporary art. According to official press infos, this edition’s sales seemed promising since the opening day, despite the announcement of the failure to reduce VAT on artworks, decided by the Italian government, circulated right during the fair days. The Italian VAT rate is one of the highest in the world (10% on art imports and primary market sales and 22% on all secondary market sales), while it amounts to 5,5% in France and 7% in Germany on import on art sales. The government decision not to apply the reduced regime to works of art has caused fierce protests from art traders, buyers and artists including the exhibitors at Arte Fiera, who made a public whistle protest through the fair booths to show their dismay and preoccupation about the future of the industry.

A new law has been recently discussed by the Italian Parliament in order to reform the art sector in Italy and adjust our country’s current legislation within the European overall framework. Failure to amend the value-added tax legislation, will likely push Italian traders out of the most attractive art market, causing the closing or moving abroad of many galleries and artists. The members of ITALICS Art and Landscape – a network of 74 Italian galleries founded in 2020 to give voice to the dealers world – has issued a statement addressing the issue and affirming that “ignoring the opportunity offered by Directive (EU) 2022/542, the Italian government has decided to turn its back on the Italian art market, showing indifference to its economic value and to its cultural value, effectively decreeing its death and causing incalculable damage in terms of support for artists and our country’s cultural relevance on the global stage. Many players in the cultural industry are already closing o relocating.”

According to the latest The Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting 2024 report (formerly prepared by Tefaf) curated by Dr. Clare McAndrew – Arts Economics, the overall worth of the art market in 2023 was $65 billion. The report also showed that, although the share of global wealth in 2024 in Italy was 2%, while it was 40% in the US and 12% in Mainland China and Hong Kong, billionaires of some of the main regions of Europe showed relatively strong year-on-year growth in wealth – including France up by 14%, Germany by 10%, Italy up by 40% and the UK by 12%.