On Friday evening the unique 1:2 scale bronze sculpture of the Alfa Brera created by Centro Stile Alfa Romeo was auctioned in aid of charity at MiArt 2007, the International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair in Milan, by Filippo Lotti, the Administrator-Delegato of Sotheby's Italia. 50,000 euros was raised by the sale. This very individual piece of art was first seen in public last October at the Piazzetta di Palazzo Reale in Milan, when it was presented at the inauguration of an exhibition entitled: "Boccioni, pittore, scultore futurista".

Present at the prestigious auction on Friday evening was Alfa Romeo Automobiles CEO Antonio Baravalle and Professor Daniele Farina, representing the "Crescere Insieme al Sant’Anna", the committee that is overseeing the restructuring of the maternity ward at the Hospital Sant’Anna in Turin, a project that aims to set new international standards when it is completed and strike a new balance between functionality, efficiency and user comfort.

The impressive Alfa Brera sculpture is an individual work, created in-house by Alfa Romeo's own design studio, and accurately captures the form of the Giorgetto Giugiaro-styled sportscar in its angled, rising form. It will be on show throughout MiArt 2007, taking place at the Milan Fiera, and which opened on Friday and closes tomorrow (Monday). The model is 250 cm long, 120 cm wide and 60 cm high, and altogether weighs 650 kg.

MiArt 2007 the twelfth edition of Milan’s International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair is a unique event which turns the city into a prestigious showcase for art and a point of reference for collectors, gallery operators, artists and curators. Like last year, MiArt is taking place in the Portello pavilions of fieramilanocity, and reasserting its role as the only trade show in Italy able to offer a complete panorama of the art world through its four separate sections that encompass modern art to the most innovative voices of contemporary art. Together, the four sections, Modern, Contemporary, Art & Co and Anteprima take in Italian and international art from the historic avant-garde to the most recent experimental works, attracting collectors with different interests and backgrounds.
 

Following on from the incredible success of the Guest Nation project, launched at the last show with China, in 2007 the guest nation is be the Netherlands, a country that’s closer to Italy geographically but unique in the West for its effervescent art scene. A busy program of conferences and roundtable sessions are breathing life into the exhibition, offering an opportunity for interaction and exchange with the foremost Italian and international critics and curators.

Overflowing with exciting features, MiArt 2007 is a benchmark and a meeting point for the art world. And this year’s fair is seeing the participation of more internationally respected gallery operators, critics and collectors than ever before, as well as the directors of prestigious museums, including Maria de Corral and Vicente Todolì. An increasingly international program of events further confirmed by the participation of the Basel-based Foundation Beyeler. This will be the first time that the foundation has taken part in a trade show outside Switzerland. And it’s doing it with an event that will trigger enormous interest and excitement, further honing the international edge of MiArt 2007.

Thanks to the increasing collaboration with the public and private sectors, over recent years there have been numerous cultural and art events presented during the exhibition under the umbrella title fuoriMiArt – an unmissable program that promises to present the most exciting events in the whole city. The numerous parallel events testify in a tangible way to MiArt’s desire to establish an ongoing dialogue with the city of Milan and transform the exhibition into a fully fledged arts festival.