The New Art Fair Age. Rethinking the Art Fair Today
- Redazione
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Interview with Paolo Batoni, director of Lucca Art Fair
On the occasion of the 10th edition of Lucca Art Fair, taking place from 25 to 27 September 2026 at the Real Collegio in Lucca, and dedicated this year to the theme Let’s Get Lost, inspired by the figure of Chet Baker, we had a conversation with director Paolo Batoni about the present and future of art fairs. Almost twenty years after the reflections explored in The Art Fair Age, the art fair system is facing a new period of transformation, shaped by questions of sustainability, rising costs, scale, relationships with galleries, and new ways of engaging with audiences. From Lucca, a perspective on what the role of an art fair can be today — and tomorrow.
At a time when the traditional art fair model is increasingly being questioned, what role can a fair like Lucca Art Fair play?
I believe that today we need to ask ourselves not so much how much an art fair can grow, but how it can become more valuable to those who take part in it. Costs have risen significantly in recent years, making participation increasingly challenging, particularly for small and mid-sized galleries, which are often precisely those doing some of the most interesting work in terms of research and supporting emerging artists.
Lucca Art Fair cannot and does not want to compete with the major international fairs in terms of scale or numbers. Its size can instead become one of its strengths: a more intimate and accessible fair, where there is time to engage with the works and build meaningful relationships.
So, can being a smaller-scale fair be seen as a deliberate choice rather than a limitation?
Absolutely. I don’t believe the future necessarily has to mean increasingly larger fairs, with more exhibitors, more square metres and more events. There is another possibility: focusing on selection, on the quality of the proposals, and on creating a context in which every gallery can truly be visible.
The aim is not to be a smaller version of a major fair. It is to build a different model, one that is consistent with our history, with the city, and with the galleries and organisations that take part.
The issue of costs has become central to the debate around the art fair system. How do you approach it?
It is something we inevitably have to address. Participating in an art fair represents a significant investment for a gallery, and we cannot treat this as a secondary concern. I believe that those who organise a fair should constantly ask themselves what value they are providing in return for that investment.
Sales are, of course, fundamental, but today we know that the success of a fair cannot be measured solely by what is sold over those three days. An encounter in Lucca may lead to a sale months later, to an exhibition, a collaboration, or a relationship with a new collector. Our task is to create the conditions in which these opportunities can emerge.
So an art fair is no longer simply a marketplace?
It never was entirely, but today this is even more evident. A fair is certainly a commercial environment, and it would be wrong to pretend otherwise, but at the same time it is a space for building relationships, positioning and discovery.
A collector may encounter a gallery for the first time, then follow its programme and purchase a work months later. Similarly, a curator may discover an artist and later involve them in a project. These dynamics are difficult to quantify in the immediate term, but they represent an important part of the value of an art fair.
What role, then, do small and mid-sized galleries play within the Lucca Art Fair project?
A central one. They are often the galleries that take the greatest risks, work with emerging artists, pursue less established paths, and make a tangible contribution to the renewal of the art system.
I believe it is important for fairs to exist where these galleries can find a sustainable space and not feel like a marginal presence within events built primarily around major players.
This does not mean lowering the standards of selection. On the contrary, it means being even more rigorous about the quality of the projects presented.
How important are Lucca and the Real Collegio to this idea of the fair?
Extremely important. Lucca Art Fair could not simply be moved into a conventional exhibition hall and remain the same event.
The Real Collegio, the historic city centre, the possibility of moving around on foot and the relationship with the city all shape the pace of the visit. I am interested in the idea of a fair where visitors do not necessarily have to rush from one stand to another, but where there is time to stop, talk to a gallerist, return to a work, step outside and then come back in.
This slower pace can also become part of the fair’s identity.
The tenth edition therefore comes at a significant moment. What do these ten years represent?
An anniversary is particularly meaningful when it becomes an opportunity to question what comes next.
Since 2016, the art system has changed considerably, and art fairs have changed with it. It would not be particularly interesting to celebrate ten editions simply by looking back. I would rather use this milestone as an opportunity to consider what kind of Lucca Art Fair we want to build for the years ahead.
The theme chosen for 2026 is Let’s Get Lost. Is there a connection between the curatorial theme and this reflection on the art fair model?
They are two different aspects, but they inevitably enter into dialogue. Let’s Get Lost begins with the idea of getting lost as a generative possibility: temporarily leaving a predetermined path in order to encounter something we were not looking for.
In a sense, a good art fair should allow this to happen too. You enter expecting to see certain things and leave having discovered an artist, a gallery or a work you did not know before.
I am very interested in this possibility of unexpected discovery. Perhaps, in an art system that is increasingly programmed and fast-paced, creating the conditions for something unforeseen to still happen is one of the most interesting roles an art fair can take on.
If you had to describe the Lucca Art Fair of the coming years in just a few words?
A fair that is more selective than expansive, more focused on relationships than dispersion, and deeply connected to the place in which it was born.
I would like Lucca to be perceived as a fair worth attending not only for what can happen during three days in September, but for what those three days can set in motion.
Lucca Art Fair 2026
25-27 september 2026
Real Collegio, Lucca
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