50 THOUSAND ENTHUSIASTS AT MERCAINTEINFIERA, HOMELAND OF COLLECTIBLES
A success on social media: with 92,435 fans on FB the Fiere di Parma event places ahead of Tefaf, Brafa and Masterpiece

(Parma, 8 October) There were the ancient Venetian glass beads rediscovered in Ghana and Mali that tell the story of humanity over the last 2,000 years. But we were not at an anthropological museum. There was also the Ferrari 750 Monza and the 250 Le Mans by Sergio Scaglietti, worth 17 million euros. But we were not at the automobile museum.

We were at Mercanteinfiera, the Fiere di Parma international exhibition of antiques, modern antiques, collectibles and vintage which confirmed, with 50,000 thousand enthusiasts and no less than 5000 buyers, the success of a unique format in the world: on the one hand, antiques, modern antiques, collectibles and vintage, and on the other a glimpse of Italian customs through its collateral shows.

In this 37th edition:  “The glass beads road from Venice to Timbuktu 15th-20th century” where the history of Venice crosses that of the collector-entrepreneur Augusto Panini, and “From sheet metal to design: Sergio Scaglietti’s maieutics” organized by Oscar Scaglietti and Davide Toni and dedicated to the famous designer from Modena.

Details conveyed the magic of the ephemeral dimension that bewitched the public, like the De Nittis painting portraying a young Italy bearing the markings of the Carbonari flag at the bottom of her garment (value 40,000 euros), a rare Napoleon III piece of furniture in turtle, ebony and gilded bronze dated 1870 (value 120,000 euros), and a Sumerian eye idol with an inquisitive look dating to the fourth millennium BC, from the temple of Tell Brak.  There was also design by Gio Ponti and Joe Colombo, just to name a few.

The exhibition displayed iconic design objects and artworks spanning six millennia of history. However, in pavilion 6 they made way for an art form that may perhaps lack the touch of eternity but is certainly no less significant for the wardrobe of any woman: vintage collectibles.

Here were the Jimmy Choo “Marlene” shoes made famous by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, a necklace by Larry Vrba, the famous designer of jewellery seen in Victoria’s Secret fashion shows, Morris Moskowiz mini bags, colourful Versace evening dresses, and rare LV trunks designed by no less than Ernest Hemingway.

“The event’s success with visitors – says Ilaria Dazzi, Brand Manager of Mercanteinfiera – confirms our exhibition as the homeland of collectibles. It is a place where people can find new evocative inspiration and which is attracting buyers from all over the world in increasing numbers.  Our efforts will go precisely in this direction, that is, increasing incoming activity, for example from countries such as the USA and Russia. Mercanteinauto, the exhibition of cars from yesteryear, continues to grow and the collaboration with the Ferrari Museum of Maranello and with Piaggio will allow us to offer initiatives with great appeal to our public.”

There were new collaborations but also historical partners like the Vespa Club of Parma and the Vespa Historical Register, which brought to the exhibition an exceptional microcar, the Vespa 400, with models from Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria.

This aesthetic narration was complemented by the 500 vintage car models and Edna Hill’s famous Fiat 1100/103from Claudio Baroni’s Old Cars Collection.

And while Mercanteinfiera continues to attract an audience on Facebook as well, with 92,435 fans (7238 more than in October 2017), surpassing Tefaf, Brafa and Masterpiece, the organizers are already focusing on the next edition, which will take place from 2 to 10 March, 2019.

PRESS OFFICE
Antonella Maia
Mercanteinfiera Press Office – Cell 349 4757783 –
E-mail: antonellamaia.ufficiostampa@gmail.com