Fondazione Zeri launches digital platform on 19th-20th century Italian art market

The Fondazione Federico Zeri in Bologna has launched a new online platform dedicated to the study of the Italian art market between the 19th and 20th centuries. The project, titled "Mercato antiquario in Italia tra Ottocento e Novecento," focuses on antique dealers, consultants, restorers, and photographers active from the late 1800s to the second half of the 1900s. It stems from research by Marco Fossati, who in 2023 received a scholarship from the Associazione Amici di Federico Zeri to investigate the direct consequences of Zeri's studies on the art world. Zeri maintained close ties with art market figures throughout his career, providing expertise to dealers, galleries, and auction houses. The platform draws on Zeri's photographic archive of about 290,000 images, donated to the University of Bologna, which includes annotations reflecting his connoisseurship. The database currently contains over 150 art market locations, 60 antique dealers and galleries, a timeline of significant events from 1882 to the early 2000s, and a comprehensive list of professionals and clients. Each entry includes historical profiles, tracked locations and relationships, artworks from the Fondazione Zeri catalog, and essential bibliography. The foundation plans to expand the platform with new researchers and contributions from heirs of historical market players.