A few hours before the opening of doors - on Wednesday, February 21 - the atmosphere within one of the great fairs of the Week of Art is exciting. Come to Art Madrid'18 to enjoy art like never before!

Foto de la pasada edición en Art Madrid'17

Carpet, cartels, paint, the staircase, be careful with that photograph... There are many months of work that precede the celebration of an event such as Art Madrid, one of the great fairs of the Art Week in Madrid, work of selection, contact and management of the participating galleries, the work of communication, the design of the graphic elements, the plan, the licenses, the technical sheets, the prices, the sending of invitations, the calendars, the parallel activities ... but at this point we would give our kingdom by a simple nail! A few hours before the opening of Art Madrid - tomorrow, Wednesday, February 21st at 11:00 am we open the doors of the CentroCentro Glass Gallery, and at 1:00 a wine will be served for the guests - all are nerves, but also an enormous confidence in the work done and in those who have helped us make it possible, our sponsors Suarez and Liquitex (who will have two spaces in the AM18 lounge area with activities that we will announce each day), our collaborator Ink and Movement, our media partner official Cultura Inquieta, or brands such as La Virgen brewery or the Pago de Cirsus winery that decided to ally with the fair for years and still accompany us.

At the official opening we will have the presence, among others, of the ambassadors of Germany, Brazil, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, Italy, Chile and the Ambassadors of Costa Rica and Jordan, example of the acceptance, Mr. Ryan Matheny Garrido, Aggregate Cultural Center of the Embassy of the United States, a good example of the importance that the fair already has among collectors and foreign professionals.

Foto de la pasada edición en Art Madrid'17

On the part of local institutions have confirmed their attendance D. Felipe Llamas, Chief of Staff of the Mayor's Office of Madrid and Dª. María Carmen Castell Díaz, Member of the Ordinary Permanent Commission of Culture and Sports of the Madrid City Council, as well as Dª. Alicia Durántez de Irezabal, D.G. of Cultural Heritage Community of Madrid. Subdirectorate General for Dissemination and Management and Dª. Elisa de Cabo de la Vega Deputy Director General for the Protection of the Historical Heritage of the Ministry of Culture MECD.

As a representation of cultural institutions and foundations we will have Juan Barja, Director of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, Javier del Campo of Fundación Caja de Burgos, with Dª. Fátima Sánchez Santiago, Director of Projects and Education Area of ​​the Botín Foundation, Dª. Leticia Martín, Manager Atlantic Center of Modern Art-CAAM, Mr. D. Michel Bertrand, Director of the Casa Velázquez, Dª. Laura Ramón Brogeras, manager of the Art Collection of the Fundación Telefónica or Dª. Elena Alonso, Director Carlos Amberes Foundation.

We are waiting for you all in # ArtMadrid18

From July 7 to 9, 2025, the Balsera Palace will host the First Course on Collecting and Contemporary Art, an intensive 15-hour program that will explore the complex and fundamental question of taste in contemporary art. Organized by the Nebrija Institute of Arts and Humanities at Nebrija University and the Avilés City Council, in collaboration with 9915 — Association of Private Collectors of Contemporary Art and the Institute of Contemporary Art, the course offers a unique opportunity for analysis and debate on the dynamics that shape aesthetic and symbolic value in today’s art scene.

First Course on Collecting and Contemporary Art. Avilés, Asturias

The notion of taste, intrinsically tied to aesthetic judgments and power relations, has played a decisive role in the historical prominence of artists and artworks. However, contemporary art—marked by its breaking of conventions, diversity of media and techniques, and critical stance toward traditional canons—raises fundamental questions about the continued relevance of this concept.

This course will explore how the decisions made by key players in the art system—institutions, private collections, galleries, curators, and artists—continually redefine a field of taste shaped by aesthetic, symbolic, cultural, social, and political logics.

"¿But does it exist, and what is the prevailing taste of our time—so seemingly confused, fragmented, indecipherable?" - Omar Calabrese, The Neo-Baroque Era.

The academic program, directed by José Luis Guijarro Alonso, Director of the Master’s in Art Market and Related Business Management at Nebrija University, and Pablo Álvarez de Toledo, Head of the Department of Arts at Nebrija University and the Nebrija Institute of Arts and Humanities, will bring together a distinguished group of national experts—including collectors, critics, curators, gallery owners, and artists—whose contributions will address key issues in shaping aesthetic, symbolic, and market value in today’s art world.

PROGRAM

MONDAY, JULY 7

9:30 AM Registration.

10:00 AM Course Opening Nebrija University Avilés City Council Presented by Rosario López Meras – President of the Association of Contemporary Art Collectors, 9915, and Adrián Piera – President of the ICA, Institute of Contemporary Art.

10:30 AM Course Presentation By José Luis Guijarro Alonso – Art Historian and Anthropologist, Researcher, and Director of the Master’s in Art Market and Related Business Management at Nebrija University.

11:00 AM Coffee Break.

11:30 AM Panel Discussion The Taste of Private Collecting as a Prelude to History. Speakers: Candela Álvarez Soldevilla – Entrepreneur and Collector; Javier Quilis – INELCOM Collection; José Miguel Vegas Valle – Collector. Moderator: Luis Feás – Critic and Curator.

1:00 PM Lunch Break.

3:30 PM Individual Lecture On Good Taste in Contemporary Art. Speaker: Marisol Salanova – Curator and Art Critic, Director of Arteinformado.

4:45 PM Panel Discussion The Influence of Galleries in Shaping Contemporary Taste. Speakers: Elba Benítez – Gallerist; Ricardo Pernas – Gallerist (Arniches 26); Aurora Vigil-Escalera – Gallerist. Moderator: Rafael Martín – Coleccion@casamer.

6:00 PM End of Day.

6:30 PM Activity and Cocktail Visit to the Exhibition Asturian Artists in the Pérez Simón Collection – Avilés.

TUESDAY, JULY 8

10:00 AM Individual Lecture Contemporary (Bad) Taste: Kitsch, Camp, and Tacky. Speaker: Julio Pérez Manzanares – Autonomous University of Madrid.

11:00 AM Coffee Break.

11:30 AM Panel Discussion Institutions and the Formation of Contemporary Taste. Speakers: Virginia López – Artist, Founder of PACA_Proyectos Artísticos Casa Antonino; Julieta de Haro – Artistic Director of CentroCentro; Carlos Urroz – Director of Institutional Relations, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. Moderator: Laura Gutiérrez – Director, School of Art of Oviedo.

1:00 PM Lunch Break.

3:30 PM Panel Discussion Beyond the Eye: The Taste for Ethical, Ecological, Social, or Political Concerns in Contemporary Art. Speakers: Semíramis González – Independent Curator; Eugenio Ampudia – Artist; Claudia Rodríguez-Ponga – Independent Curator. Moderator: Bárbara Mur Borrás – PhD in Fine Arts.

5:00 PM End of Day.

5:30 PM Activity Visit to the Studiolo Exhibition – Candela Álvarez Soldevilla Collection.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9

9:30 AM Meeting with Asturian Artists Speakers: María Castellanos – Artist; Avelino Sala – Artist; Consuelo Vallina – Artist. Moderator: Pablo Álvarez de Toledo – Nebrija University.

11:00 AM Activity Visit to the Niemeyer Center – Avilés.

Course Closing Ceremony.

This course is designed for art professionals, collectors, researchers, and students seeking an in-depth analysis of the dynamics that shape taste and collecting practices in contemporary art. Adopting a critical and multidisciplinary perspective, it provides a unique opportunity to rigorously examine the aesthetic, symbolic, and structural factors that underpin the legitimization of contemporary art.