The Italian Art Market and the importance of communication strategies: from fairs to auction houses' best practices

The Italian cultural industry is now marching on an innovative supply chain, whose main pattern consists in a new utility perception and consumption behaviours on the demand side and a strong vocation to invest in communication and public relations on the supply side. The content of this paper is an attempt to justify the emerging relevance of marketing strategies and investments in the Italian art market, referring to new incubators like art fairs – as concerns 2004’s interviews with art galleries - and to a modern and consistent approach to communication instruments evaluation for key competitors like auction houses.