Marco Fiori on Founding the Associazione Liberi Incisori and Collecting Prints

Marco Fiori, a collector and enthusiast of art prints, founded the Associazione Liberi Incisori (ALI) in 2009, dedicated to Luciano De Vita. The association focuses on protecting, promoting, and enhancing original engraving, organizing meetings, exhibitions, courses, conferences, and publishing original engravings reserved for members. De Vita, a European-level engraver trained at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna and a student of Morandi, was previously honored by the AIER in 1997, which later merged into ALI. ALI has produced 25 publications, with the latest themed 'Ambienti d'Italia,' featuring an exhibition planned for November at the Biblioteca Passerini-Landi in Piacenza. Fiori recommends regional engravers such as Toni Pecoraro, Ezio Camorani, Nicola Samorì (winner of the Premio d'Incisione Giorgio Morandi), Francesco Geronazzo, and Agim Sako. Regarding print valuations, Fiori notes that prices vary widely: established artists appear in gallery catalogs and auction houses, while lesser-known artists set their own prices. Auction results fluctuate based on economic conditions and market maneuvers, but most buyers acquire prints from galleries, art circles, specialist sales houses, antique bookshops, fairs, or directly from artists.