Art Collection Auction to Repay Debts of Ex-Santanchè Company

From May 19 to June 20, 2025, a judicial auction will take place to sell an Italian art collection, aimed at settling the debts of Bioera, a defunct organic food enterprise previously led by Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè until 2021. The Milan bankruptcy court mandated this liquidation on December 4, 2024, due to the company’s negative net equity of approximately €8 million. The auction, featuring around fifty lots of Italian art and design, is organized by Kruso Art, a new division of Milan's Art Rite, in collaboration with Pado from the Avacos Group. Notable works include pieces by Gianni Piacentino and Louise Nevelson, with estimates ranging from €60,000 for Watts to €1,000-10,000 for others. Bioera, established in 1989 as Dererum Srl, was renamed in 2004 and went public in 2005, before being acquired in 2011 by Canio Giovanni Mazzaro, Santanchè's former partner. The company faced challenges starting in 2018, leading to its judicial liquidation in December 2024.