A glimpse of the future: the fair is coming!

Art Madrid is back and the excitement of the return can be perceived in the posts, stories and tags that have been received over the last few weeks on our social networks, and we love it! It's one of the most exciting parts of this pre-event phase. But the most comforting thing, after a year of work, is to be in front of this great list of artists from all over the world and imagine the surprises they have prepared for the public.

Ajarb Bernard Ategwa. Sweet family. Acrylic on canvas, 200 x 225 cm, 2023.

Artists have been the main protagonists of Art Madrid in each of its editions. Always in a unique, attractive and emotional way, they have been able to narrate their life experiences through images; their messages and statements have touched the sensibilities of the public, which has returned to meet them every year.

Irina Grechuina. Solaristics Deadlock. Oil on canvas, 200 x 200 cm, 2022.

And the fact is, dear friends, that Art Week has changed its dates and this year 2024 welcomes us between March the 6th and March the 10th; and so, imbued with the frenetic rhythm of change, we also welcome the almost two hundred artists who will accompany us during the 19th edition of Art Madrid.

Luchio Lim. Story 1. Mixed media, traditional Korean paper, 92 x 92 cm, 2023.

If we look at the data that this great list of names shows, the artists participating in this edition represent 30 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. This is an important fact, considering that 75% of the exhibitors participating in Art Madrid are national and the others 25% are international galleries. This means that most of the galleries have a diverse and multicultural roster of artists, which means that the presence and coexistence of creators from four continents translates into a heterogeneous exhibition proposal.

Silvia Flechoso. No sugar, no mommy. Oil on canvas, 73 x 54 x 3 cm, 2023.

And if this information is not enough to attract your attention, wait, here comes the best: most of the artworks you will see in Art Madrid are of recent creation (2023-2024), and the leading manifestations are once again: painting, sculpture and drawing; without losing sight of the surprises that photography and installation have in reserve for you in our next edition. More than half of the artists are participating for the first time, exploring themes such as migration, cultural hybridity, racial and gender issues, sustainability, the deconstruction of traditional forms of representation, the values of art criticism and the art system. Architecture, design, the languages of traditional crafts and digital environments are also universes from which the edition's exhibition proposals have been fed back.

Ana Monsó. All I wanna hear. Acrylics, pastels, pencils, markers, spray on canvas,

Welcoming the artists to Art Madrid'24 will be a reunion that celebrates diversity and innovation, creating a space where the boundaries between different forms of expression are dissolved, giving way to a creative dialog without limits. The works display exceptional technical skill as well as a deep exploration of form, color, and texture. From evocative landscapes to intimate portraits, each stroke, photograph, or three-dimensional form reveals the artists' commitment to their art. They are aesthetically powerful proposals that invite reflection on the nature of art and its relationship to the world around us.

HUANG Shung-Tin Blank 042. Acrylic on linen, 91 x 65 cm, 2023.

We invite you to meet the artists participating in Art Madrid'24

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.