Art Madrid'26 – Carol Rama exhibition in Macba museum (Barcelona)

There are few things as rewarding for a museum as recover the work of a tangential art figure, veiled and forgotten by traditional historiography. It is the case of many women artists and the case of the Italian artist Carol Rama, essential B-Side of the XX century avant-garde, whose art can be enjoyed in the MACBA from 30 October until early 2015. 

Dorina, 1940.

 

With an absolutely unique language, influenced by art brut, the informality, les Fauves, feminism and organic abstraction, Carol Rama (Turin, 1918) tries to challenge (with a long career of more than 70 years on active ) the traditional art narrative and the gender discourse itself, with a violent, subversive, sensual and polymorphic vision of art practice and of his own body. MACBA Museum it is not just "giving visibility to the work of Carol Rama" but joining her questions and doubts about the hegemonic concept of art and about the sensuality, the femenine symbol and the abjection. 

Apassionata, 1940.

In the 30s, Rama experiments with watercolors, lubricious, colors and stains to fill hundreds of papers with mutant nudes, tongues, genitals, eyes... with a work between psychoanalysis and the study the unconscious. After a long period, objects began to curdle in her work, ready mades, recycling, organic pieces, tires, nails, syringes, Arte Povera make her work even more pregnante ... more pornographic.

La Macelleria, 1980.

 

In the nineties, Carol Rama returns to figuration without losing their initial anger because, as she herself has stated on numerous occasions: "paint makes me free from the anguish suffered by what was happening to my family, transforming anguish in transgression... I was out. Contrary. Never lining up"

Carol Rama y Andy Warhol. Fotografía de Dino Petrali, 1975.

Curated by Teresa Grandas and Beatriz Preciado - feminist philosopher, specializing in Queer Theory and Philosophy of gender - the exhibition is an alternative file with wich you can correctly understand the history of art of the twentieth century as it is "an artist imperative to understand the mutations of representation in the twentieth century and the later work of artists like Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker, Sue Williams, Kiki Smith and Elly Strik ". 

Carol Rama has participated for several years in the Venice Biennale (1948, 1950, 1956, 1993) and in 2003 received the Golden Lion.
 
 

 


ART MADRID’ 26: 21 YEARS OF CONTEMPORARY ART


Discover all the information about the artists and galleries participating in the 21st edition of Art Madrid. The catalog features a curated selection of the works presented in this edition, along with the most relevant details of the event, making it an essential tool for engaging with the fair’s key figures and exploring the defining elements of today’s art scene.


In 2026, Art Madrid celebrates its 21st edition, further establishing itself as a leading event within Spain’s cultural sector. From March 4 to 8, the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles will once again become a meeting point for galleries, collectors, artists, and contemporary art enthusiasts.


Over the past twenty-one years, the fair has evolved into a dynamic and ever-expanding platform, fostering diversity in artistic languages, techniques, and discourses. In this edition, the Galleries Program brings together around 35 exhibitors from more than seven countries, offering a representative overview of the most recent developments in contemporary creation.


The Art Madrid ’26 catalog serves as a key publication for discovering the work of this edition’s galleries and artists —marked by experimentation and a plurality of perspectives— while also documenting the conceptual axes that shape the fair. As part of the Parallel Program, INHABITING THE EPHEMERAL: A Reflection on the “Species” of Spaces proposes a reflection on space, relationships, and shared experience, expanding the understanding of the fair beyond its commercial dimension and highlighting its cultural and experiential significance.


In addition, the catalog presents the initiatives that complete the program, such as the Open Booth dedicated to emerging creation, the Nebrija Space in collaboration with Nebrija University, the Performance Series “Open Infinite. What the Body Remembers,” the One Shot Collectors Program, and the Patronage Program, reaffirming the fair’s commitment to supporting, mediating, and accompanying contemporary art at every stage.

We invite you to discover more about Art Madrid ’26 through the catalog of its 21st edition — a publication that, beyond serving as documentary memory, becomes a cartography of the present artistic moment and an open door to new ways of inhabiting contemporary art.