Art Madrid'26 – Apertura starts the art season

 

3 days, 45 galleries and 50 artists participates in APERTURA, the official start of the art season in the capital, from 10 to 12 September.

 

 

 

For art lovers and for ARTE_MADRID, the Association of Art Galleries of Madrid, APERTURA is "the great event of contemporary art of Autumn" with over 50 artists from 45 galleries and participation of large institutions like the Museum Reina Sofia, Thyssen Museum and the Fundación Telefónica.

 

 

 

 

In its sixth edition, APERTURA gathers works of masters such as Yves Klein and Josef Albers, with groundbreaking proposals like those of Karen Knorr, Tomas Vu or Rirkrit Tiravanija. But the big bet of the start of the season is undoubtedly the Spanish contemporary art work from the emerging scene to the more consolidated. So, names like Santiago Ydañez, Santiago Giralda or Yann Leto, live on this days with Gordillo or Pablo Picasso.

 

 

 

These days, the galleries have special schedules, as well as guided tours, meetings with artists and collectors, performances... turning the city into a large museum with all contemporary art disciplines: painting, photography, sculpture... APERTURA has two objectives: to bring the public to contemporary creation and to be a meeting point for the sector.

 

 

 

GALLERIES AND ARTISTS

Álvaro Alcázar (PETER KRAUSKOPF) / Arnés & Röpke (ALEKSANDAR DURAVCEVIC) / Astarté (OLALLA GÓMEZ) / Bacelos (MANUEL EIRÍS) / Bat – Alberto Cornejo (MARC QUINTANA) / Benveniste Contemporary (EDUARDO STUPÍA) / Blanca Berlín (FLOR GARDUÑO) / Blanca Soto Arte (LUIS QUINTERO) / Cámara Oscura (EXPOSICIÓN COLECTIVA) / Casado Santapau (ALEXANDRE ARRECHEA) / Cayón (YVES KLEIN) / Elba Benítez (EXPOSICIÓN COLECTIVA) / Elvira González (SOL LEWITT) / Espacio Valverde (LUIS VASSALLO) / F2 (JOSÉ GUERRERO) / Fernández-Braso SOLEDAD SEVILLA) / Fernando Pradilla (GERMÁN GÓMEZ) / Formatocomodo (SAMUEL LABADIE) / Freijo Gallery (ALAIN ARIASMISSON) / Guillermo de Osma (PABLO PICASSO) / Heinrich Ehrhardt (OTTO ZITKO) / Helga de Alvear ELMGREEN & DRAGSET / Javier López (ALEX KATZ *) / José de la Mano (LUGÁN) / Juana de Aizpuru (PHILIPP FRÖHLICH) / La Caja Negra (MATHIAS GOERITZ) / La New Gallery (SANTIAGO YDÁÑEZ) / Leandro Navarro JUAN CARLOS SAVATER / Maisterravalbuena (ANTONIO BALLESTER MORENO) / Marlborough (LUIS GORDILLO) / Marta Cervera (LEONOR SERRANO RIVAS) / Max Estrella (EUGENIO AMPUDIA) / Michel Soskine, inc. (HORST JANSSEN) / Moisés Pérez de Albéniz (SANTIAGO GIRALDA) / N F Galería (RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA – TOMAS VU) / NoguerasBlanchard (ALAIN BILTEREYST) / Parra & Romero (PALOMA POLO) / Pilar Serra (JOSEF ALBERS) / Ponce + Robles (AGGTELEK) / Rafael Pérez Hernando (SABINE FINKENAUER) / Sabrina Amrani (UBIK) / Slowtrack (KAREN KNORR) / The Goma (ANA SANTOS) / Travesía Cuatro (GONZALO LEBRIJA) / Utopia Parkway (ALBERTO PINA)
 

The 22nd edition of Art Madrid opens its application period. From 3 to 7 March 2027, the Galería de Cristal del Palacio de Cibeles will once again become the meeting point for national and international contemporary art. Galleries interested in taking part can submit their application until 20 October 2026.



Art Madrid'26 - 21st Contemporary Art Fair. Aerial view.

The Art Madrid contemporary art fair

Art Madrid takes place each year as part of Madrid Art Week, the moment in the Spanish art calendar with the highest concentration of collectors, institutions and specialist press. With 22 years of history, the fair brings together national and international galleries with a programme focused on recently produced contemporary work.


Located at the Galería de Cristal del Palacio de Cibeles, in the cultural heart of the city and steps away from the Triángulo del Arte and the Paseo del Prado, Art Madrid offers participating galleries a distinctive and recognisable setting within the Spanish art fair landscape.


Art Madrid'26 - 21st Contemporary Art Fair. Entrance.

Art Madrid'26 in figures

The previous edition closed with 35 galleries from 7 countries (Spain, Portugal, France, Denmark, Taiwan, South Korea and Cuba), over 200 artists and around 20,000 visitors. 35% of the audience were new collectors, with an age range between 35 and 60 and a gender split of 55% women and 45% men.


The fair welcomed representatives from more than 30 foundations, museums and collections, including Fundación Mapfre, Fundación BBVA, Fundación Telefónica, Fundación Banco Santander, Fundación Bertelsmann, Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson, Fundación Carmen y Lluís Bassat, Fundación Studiolo, Fundació Lluís Coromina, IVAM, MARCO, CAAM, MEIAC and the Museo del Romanticismo. Delegations from Madrid City Council, the Community of Madrid, the Ministry of Culture and ambassadors from several countries also attended.


Art Madrid'26 - 21st Contemporary Art Fair. Fundación Studiolo Acquisition Award.

PROGRAMMES

GALLERIES PROGRAMME

In each edition, Art Madrid brings together a carefully curated selection of around 35 national and international galleries with proposals focused on recently produced contemporary work.


ONE SHOT COLLECTORS PROGRAMME

Sponsored by One Shot Hotels and led by Ana Suárez Gisbert (art advisor specialising in international law and the art trade, art appraiser and court expert), the Collectors Programme connects new and experienced buyers with the participating works and galleries through a personalised advisory service throughout the five days of the fair.


For galleries, it operates as an additional channel for engaging active buyers, running in parallel to their own commercial activity.


PATRONAGE PROGRAMME

Art Madrid partners with institutions, collectors and private companies to directly support artists and galleries through awards and acquisitions. At the 2026 edition:


  • One Shot Hotels Breakthrough Artist Award (€1,000): Joost Vandebrug · KANT Gallery (Copenhagen–Palma)
  • Cervezas Alhambra Emerging Artist Award (€1,000): Iyán Castaño · Galería Arancha Osoro (Oviedo)
  • Colección Studiolo Acquisition: Roger Sanguino · DDR Art Gallery (Madrid)
  • Colección E2IN2 Acquisition: Albert Bonet · Inéditad Gallery (Barcelona)
  • Devesa Law Acquisition: Kim Han Ki · Banditrazos Gallery (Seoul)
  • Colección dn2 Acquisition: Iván Baizán · Galería Arancha Osoro (Oviedo)

Art Madrid'26 - 21st Contemporary Art Fair. Devesa Law Acquisition Award.


PARALLEL PROGRAMME AND ON-SITE ACTIVITIES

Throughout February, Art Madrid runs a Parallel Programme of series, talks and projects that extend the dialogue beyond the fair venue.


During the five days of the fair, alongside the galleries' exhibition programme, on-site activities include the Open Booth, the Performance Series and Readings: Curated Tours.


Art Madrid'26 - 21st Contemporary Art Fair. View of Daniel Barrio's Open Booth.


Communication and reach

The Art Madrid'26 communications campaign reached 17 million people across online and offline media: print press, radio, exclusive catalogue, web, newsletter, social media and virtual 360° tour. Coverage included general and specialist national and international media, with appearances on RTVE, TeleMadrid, Onda Madrid, Onda Cero, COPE, El Mundo, ABC, Vogue, TimeOut and Elle, among others.


All participating galleries and artists feature on the Art Madrid website during and after the fair, with their own profile, images of works and contact details.


Art Madrid'26 - 21st Contemporary Art Fair. Aerial view.


KEY INFORMATION:

Galleries interested in taking part in the 22nd edition of Art Madrid can submit their application through the online registration form available on the website until 20 October 2026.



For any queries, please write to info@art-madrid.com or call +34 91 535 87 11.