Fiera Milano presented in Basel the 30th edition of miart, the international modern and contemporary art fair directed by Nicola Ricciardi, scheduled from April 17-19, 2026 (with VIP preview on April 16) at the new South Wing venue of Allianz MiCo. An edition that pays homage to the event’s 30th anniversary with a profound transformation of its identity, from curatorial content to dialogue with galleries, from coordinated image to visitor experience.
With the title New Directions, an homage to John Coltrane ’s famous 1963 album and a statement of intent, miart 2026 adopts the language of jazz improvisation as a metaphor for harmonic and structured change. The year 2026 marks the double centennial of the birth of Coltrane and Miles Davis, two figures who were able to transform established standards into spaces of freedom and invention. Similarly, the fair intends to reinterpret its history in a contemporary key, finding in tradition the starting point for a new creative impetus. The change of venue represents one of the symbolic elements of this evolution. The South Wing of the Allianz MiCo, overlooking the CityLife park, becomes the score on which miart rewrites its exhibition score. The space, articulated on three levels, will offer a visit path conceived as a progressive and rhythmic experience, capable of enhancing each section and creating visual and narrative continuity.
Emergent, curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini and dedicated to younger galleries investing in the future of art, will be located on the entrance floor. From here the path will lead to the lower level, where Established, Interplay and the Ruinart Champagne Lounge will be located. Established will welcome established realities that represent the present of international art, with projects ranging from the early 20th century to the most recent contemporary research. Complementing the main section will come Established Anthology, a meta-section that will gather exhibition projects dedicated to the theme of time as experience, memory and transformation. The works in the exhibition will investigate cyclicity, metamorphosis and waiting, building a dialogue between languages of the modern and practices of the contemporary. The aim is to return the complexity of artistic trajectories and their resonances, keeping alive the link that has always characterized miart between history and actuality.
Alongside Established Anthology will debut Interplay, an unprecedented section named after a fundamental concept in the jazz lexicon: mutual listening and immediate response between musicians. In its fair transposition, Interplay will offer shared spaces between two galleries that will collaborate to build common narratives, generating an authentic dialogue between different artists, languages and cultural contexts. Finally, the upper floor of the South Wing will host Established Anthology and the VIP Restaurant, completing a path that develops as a visual improvisation, where each section finds its place in a harmonious balance between discovery and continuity.
In parallel, the new visual identity created by Leftloft studio translates the New Directions theme into a dynamic graphic language designed as a visual jazz. The communicative space, understood as a stave, leaves room for endless variations in format, color, typography and imagery, generating a constantly changing campaign. The result is a flexible and recognizable identity system, capable of combining structure and freedom, recognizable and new, in line with the spirit of regeneration that characterizes the fair.
miart 2026 also confirms its international dimension, consolidating its collaboration with ICE - Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies, which for the fourth consecutive year contributes to expanding foreign participation and the visibility of the event abroad. The aim is to strengthen Milan’s role as a strategic hub in the global art scene. From April 13 to 19, the city will also host a new edition of Milano Art Week, promoted by the City of Milan, which will involve major public and private institutions. Exhibitions, performances, screenings and meetings will enrich the art week, in a dense dialogue between the fair and the urban scene. In the months leading up to the event, miart will also continue with Talks Among Friends, a cycle of meetings and discussions with artists and city institutions already launched in previous editions. This is a natural extension of the philosophy of dialogue that characterizes the fair and anticipates the construction of an ever-widening network of cultural relations. New Directions thus presents itself as an invitation to be crossed by languages that change, by artists who experiment and by galleries that dare, listening to a participating and curious public.
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| miart 2026: Milan art fair changes venue and looks to the future with "New Directions" |
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