Italian Galleries Shine at Art Basel Miami Beach 2019

At Art Basel Miami Beach 2019, Italian galleries and artists made a strong showing. Maurizio Cattelan's 'Comedian'—a banana taped to a wall—stole the spotlight at Perrotin's booth, priced at $120,000. The work, a provocation, was Cattelan's first fair appearance in over 15 years. Galleries like Mazzoleni focused on postwar Italian art, featuring Emilio Vedova, Lucio Fontana, and Alberto Burri. Tornabuoni promoted lesser-known Italian artists like Afro and Francesca Pasquali. Cardi Gallery presented exclusively Italian artists, including a Fontana with 11 cuts from 1964 priced at €8 million. Alfonso Artiaco showed international artists, including a large-scale work by Ida Tursic and Wilfried Mille. Galleria Continua, participating since the first edition, sold José Antonio Suàrez Londoño's year-long installation 'Planas' on the first day. The new Meridians section featured Mario Merz's 'Pantere sul Cono' (1978) presented by Konrad Fischer. Magazzino sold works by younger Italian artists Alessandro Piangiamore and Elisabetta Benassi on day one. Massimo De Carlo highlighted Italian artists Paola Pivi and Maria Lai, and also presented Elmgreen & Dragset's double-faced pool sculpture commissioned by Miami Beach. Noero gallery showcased Lara Favaretto, who had a solo show at The Bass Museum. Overall, Italian art was well-received, with many sales reported.