Bettina Bush Mignanego

As the 2024 edition of Art Basel in Basel approaches, set to take place from June 13 to 16 with 285 of the world’s leading galleries, Vincenzo De Bellis, the global director of fairs and exhibition platforms at Art Basel, shares his vision for the future of the institution.

For the McArthurGlen and The Bicester Collection groups, the financial windfall is considerable. In constant growth for decades, luxury outlet villages have colonized the shopping world.

The 63rd Genoa Boat Show has ended. The Italian yacht show aims to become the world’s leading boat show, in an industry that is experiencing steady growth.

TEFAF New York ended with great success and significant attendance. The general manager of TEFAF fairs, Will Korner, confirms that the biggest art and antiquity fair worldwide, famous for spanning 9000 years of history, has become influential in modern art.

Italy, after France and Germany, has the third largest industrial ecosystem of cosmetics production in Europe. Mainly specialized in make-up, more than 60% of the products sold in the world are manufactured in Italy.

Is the world of influence at a turning point? According to the annual report by Business of Fashion and McKinsey, the engagement rate has dropped by 30% since 2022. Writer, journalist, and media specialist Paolo Landi analyzes the phenomenon.

Chiara Ferragni’s empire appears to be crumbling as new legal issues arise. The potential crime related to the ‘Pink Christmas’ Pandoro case produced by the Piedmontese company Balocco could shift from commercial fraud to swindling.

According to the 9th edition of Altagamma Consumer and Retail Insight, the wealthiest customers in the luxury market will increase their spending by 2024. Out of 370 million high-end consumers, 20 million will be very active. China will lead this trend with strong local demand, followed by the United States, while Europe will be notably more cautious.

In 2022, the art market and collectible sales have increased by 12% within leading international auction houses. Yet, over the past months, results have decreased.

If virtual reality is a revolution in progress, the figures show a contrasted truth. While Meta’s Reality Labs division dedicated to the development of the metaverse was losing $13.7 billion in 2022, including $4.3 billion during the fourth quarter, 141 virtual worlds were created overall, according to an analysis by the Politecnico di Milano University.

Affluence records have been set for the world’s leading museum institutions in 2023. For Maurizio Luvizone, director of cultural foundations, the current renewal of institutions owes much to the contribution of women in their roles as managers and directors of major museums.

The success of Antony Gromley’s current exhibition “Living Time” at the TAG Art Museum in China reflects the country’s ambition to see contemporary art emerge as a new cultural vector, with avenues of expression emancipated from official lines.

Saudi Arabia has been experiencing a breath of fresh air in recent years, driven by a clear and well-defined objective: to achieve the Vision 2030 project. This deadline aims to mark the country’s departure from its economic dependence on fossil fuels and symbolize its opening to the world. Culture and contemporary art serve as key mediums for exerting impactful soft power.

Early March, influencer Chiara Ferragni caused a sensation on a television show in Italy, thanks to her dresses designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of Dior, and the collective Claire Fontaine, with feminist messages that dared to challenge establishment.

Rethinking cities to make them an ideal place to live adapted to climate and social changes, is a major challenge for architects. Hope City in Ghana and Neom in Saudi Arabia are futuristic cities that open the debate on what urbanization should look like in the decades to come. Interview with Paolo Brescia, founder of Open Building Research.