Rome hosts first contemporary art fair

More than 150 galleries presented some 500 artists Friday at the first contemporary art fair in Rome, a city better known for its ruins and works by masters long passed.

“We wanted to fill a void,” fair director Alessandro Nicosia told AFP, indirectly acknowledging the absence for many years of a more avant-garde artistic and cultural movement in the Eternal City.

Veteran artists and young talent were represented at the four-day “Arte in Nuvola” exhibition, offering a snapshot of the state of Italian modern art.

Organisers hope the event, which runs until Sunday, will take place annually and become a reference point for gallery owners, collectors and museum directors.