Most people think of Turin as a central city for Arte Povera, both because many artists lived there and because galleries like Gian Enzo Sperone, Tucci Russo, and Christian Stein operated there during those Years of Lead. In reality, Genoa was also an important hub. Just think of Ida Gianelli (who later became director of the Castello di Rivoli) and all the support she provided to the artists supported by Germano Celant through the Saman Gallery, starting in 1972. We particularly recall the exhibitions dedicated to Giovanni Anselmo, Sol LeWitt, Giuseppe Penone, Hans Haacke, and so on. Of course, there were other galleries, such as Rosa Leonardi and Caterina Gualco’s Unimedia, just as today there are other reference points, such as Guidi and Schoen, to name just a few.
Elisabetta Bacci, vista parziale della mostra “Inner Stories” allestita alla CSA Farm Gallery, all’interno dell’iniziativa Exhibi.to. Torino, 2025. Foto di Marcello Corazzini, courtesy CSA Farm Gallery
Let’s briefly recall that Genoa was also a stopover in the GeMiTo project (curated by Edoardo Di Mauro and Maria Grazia Torri), which, along with the Ligurian capital, sought to involve the cities of Milan and Turin. This is why Genoa, a city with a province of 900,000 inhabitants, having demonstrated for many years its strong commitment to modern and contemporary art, is well-positioned to become a key player in the Italian art fair market today. The city’s excellent strategic location, long a hub of the country’s port activity, attracts visitors and collectors from nearby France and Switzerland, thus continuing the exchange and synergy that are also evident in the activity of the city’s private galleries.
Aldo Damioli, “Venezia New York”, 1993, pittura acrilica su tela, cm 40 x 60, foto courtesy l’Autore
The previous edition of ArteGenova closed with more than 20,000 visitors, marking a clear success for the modern and contemporary art fair that Padua-based company NEF has organized in the Ligurian capital since 2005. This significant milestone was achieved with the professionalism and experience that have always distinguished N.E.F. srl, a leading company in the sector. The 20th edition returns from February 13 to 15, 2026, with the opening scheduled for Thursday, February 12. More than 150 exhibitors will offer art lovers an anthology of works of the highest caliber, as always.
Giovanni Pulze, “Trieste Angel”, 2025, pittura acrilica su tela, cm 50 x 50. Calendario Juliet 2026, mesi di gen/feb. Foto courtesy archivio Juliet
It will be possible to stroll among absolute and timeless masterpieces by artists such as Accardi, Afro, Arman, Baj, Balla, Boetti, Burri, Carrà, Christo, Clemente, de Chirico, Dorazio, Fontana, Guttuso, Haring, Hartung, Klee, Magritte, Mathieu, Matta, Morandi, Ontani, Picasso, Pistoletto, Rotella, Santomaso, Schifano, Sironi, Soffici, Soldati, Vasarely, Vedova, Warhol, and many others, culminating in contemporary art and the unprecedented experiments of contemporary artists in video and photography. There’s also no shortage of emerging artists with works valued under € 5,000, grouped together in the Art Talent Show (C.A.T.S.) section and competing for the Banca Mediolanum Prize. This section, which can often be confusing due to the variety of proposals, actually pioneered the exhibition methodology that other fairs have declared “affordable”, meaning accessible to everyone.
Vista d’insieme della Polveriera Napoleonica di contrada Foscarini, a Palmanova, con l’allestimento di “Juliet art magazine. Since 1980”. A terra le 225 copertine della rivista, alle pareti sono riconoscibili le opere di Antonio Serrapica, Elisabetta Bacci, Aldo Damioli e Antonio Sofianopulo. Foto di Alessio Curto
Visitors are welcome from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets and information are available at www.artegenova.com. Entrance is from piazzale Kennedy, with free parking under the marquee. Banca Mediolanum is a longtime sponsor of this event. The Juliet stand will offer, along with a myriad of publications, including issue 226 of the magazine, the 2026 calendar, and numerous catalogs dedicated to the work of many artists, paintings by Elisabetta Bacci, Aldo Damioli, and Giovanni Pulze. This is just one of the many reasons to visit this fair.
Laura Albani
Info:
ArteGenova
13/2/2026 – 15/2/2026
Padiglione B, Fiera di Genova
www.artegenova.com
is a contemporary art magazine since 1980
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