Art Madrid'26 – DUCHAMP. \"GAME OVER\"

Duchamp playing chess a naked ladyuchamp playing chess with a naked lady

 

 

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) The great artist of the vanguard, went through different creative processes throughout their career. In his last phase he devoted himself to play chess assuming that this is a practice that unifies the mental process and conceptual. New York as gaining strength and is taking over the artistic essence of Europe, the old continent, is being introduced this Arab game in more contemporary works.

 

 

 

Photo of the exhibition. Work by Wassily Kandinsky

 

 

Not only was Duchamp, the only one to include the board in his works, other artists like Kandinsky or Rodoreda are a clear example of this little tool was gaining strength to rise on the scale of modernism. This leitmotiv, curated by Manuel Segade is a retrospective of how this intellectual metaphor was the purest form of social entertainment for the minds of artists.

 

 

 

Sonia Delaunay. Concurrent dresses (3 women, shapes, colors) 1925. Photo: Barcelonaturisme

 

 

Current exposure and can be enjoyed until January 22, 2017 in the Miró (Barcelona) foundation. It consists of 80 pieces, both painting and sculpture. Many of these pieces come from public collections and private European, American and Middle East. Some of these unpublished pieces in Spain endorse all this theory of the great Duchamp.

 

 

Francisco González, president of BBVA, during the inauguration of the exhibition 'End of Departure'. Photo: BBVA

 

 

Within these collections there are very eclectic works, posters, original documents, movies, books and private and public archives, among others. The works date from 1910 to 1972 and include among them four readymades of Duchamp and historical chess games designed by Calder, Yoko Ono and Ernst. There are also works by avant-garde artists as Sonia Delaunay, Paul Klee or from the Pompidou and the Museum of Israel. This is a must for any calendar.

 

 

 


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.