One more year, Art Madrid reinforces its position as one of the most outstanding contemporary art fairs in the Art Week, closing its fourteenth edition with a very positive results: more than 20,000 people visited the fair and the vast majority of the participating gallery directors claim that they are very satisfied with the sales balance made during the five days celebration.

This edition, the fair has once again surpassed the numbers of visitors being, in the general public’s opinion, one of the most welcoming, close and pleasant fairs in its route. Furthermore, this edition has achieved excellent impressions on behalf of the professional sector, outlining this year for having a greater role in national and international media. Secondly, the Activities Program also stood out for receiving great acceptance from the general audience and an excellent review from the professional sector. This year the program was dedicated to video art, it was curated by Mario Gutiérrez Cru, director of the Proyector Video Art Festival and held at CaixaForum Madrid and Sala Alcalá 31.

Photo: Diana Fernández.

In general, the media has highlighted the new and more qualitative selection criteria of both the Committee and gallerists, presenting strictly contemporary selections and leaving behind the so-called "secondary market". Furthermore, in this edition, all current artistic disciplines have been accommodated, from painting, sculpture, photography, video art to the more hybrid disciplines also including living arts such as performance. The most outstanding reviews have been associated, on the one hand, with the new One Project program, curated by Nerea Ubieto; and on the other hand, with the “Copying Claudia” performance by the artist Pachi Santiago (Zielinsky Gallery). Undoubtedly, critics have also especially celebrated the new media installation within the series “Repúblicas Mínimas” by the Guest Artist, Rubén Martín de Lucas.

Photo: Paola Aloise.

As the critic and curator Alfonso de la Torre, member of the Art Madrid Committee, explains, the fair "has come of age", highlighting "the quality of the galleries selection" that this year have been exhibited "with greater clarification of the space, which has allowed a better reading and appreciation of the works".

The fair has generated a high volume of sales and the vast majority of gallerists are very satisfied with the sales balance made. In general, the increase in the presence of private and institutional collectors is worth pointing out, from local and regional entities to international entities. Professionals from the Public sector visits also stand out; in charge of cultural institutions, museums or art centres such as the Ministry of Culture, MUSAC, IVAM, MARCO, ARTIUM, CA2M, CEART or the Picasso Museum; specialists and academics from national universities such as the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid or the Universidad de Nebrija; as well as representatives of private collections such as Iberdrola, Repsol, Iberia, Mercedes-Benz and Inelcom have toured the art show.

Photo: Melisa Medina.

National exhibitors such as Víctor Lope Arte Contemporáneo (Barcelona), Bea Villamarín (Gijón), Moret Art (A Coruña), Marita Segovia (Madrid), Miquel Alzueta (Barcelona), Aurora Vigil-Escalera (Gijón), Zielinsky (Barcelona), Hispánica Contemporánea (Madrid-Mexico City), 3 Punts (Barcelona), BAT Alberto Cornejo (Madrid), DDR Art Gallery (Madrid) or About Art (Lugo), togheter with foreign exhibitors such as Paulo Nunes-Arte Contemporânea (Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal), Schmalfuss (Berlin) or Yiri Arts (Taipei, Taiwan), made a positive balance.

Photo. Ione Adán.

On the one hand, one of the gallerists especially satisfied was Víctor Lope (Barcelona), whose selection integrated by the works of Patrik Grijalvo, Kepa Garraza, Jacinto Moros and Dirk Salz, together with the solo show of Alejandra Atarés in the One Project program, have been acquired both by private collectors and by collectors of large foundations. In addition, the gallery owner Víctor Lope is grateful to have been highlighted and awarded as one of the two best booths of this edition. On the other hand, the Taiwanese Yiri Arts gallery, directed by Orton Huang, has been participating in Art Madrid for years. The director comments that "our artists are already and much better known by the wider audience; this edition we decided to create a more intense dialogue between the Taiwanese and the Spanish artists, including multiple connections between them: two women (Chen Yun and Mònica Subidé) and two men (Guim Tió and Lai Wei-Yu)". Also, the gallerist commented, “Guim Tió’s works were the most sellers”, as well as the gallery team expressed their delight at the new edition of Art Madrid.

Photo: Ione Adán. Work in the image by Pepa Salas.

David Delgado Ruiz, director of the online gallery DDR Art Gallery, one of the first-time participating galleries within the One Project program, recognizes that, although there are some deals to be completed in the coming days, the balance is good and he noted that the work by Virginia Rivas was very well received: "the reception has been excellent, as much on the part of the specialized critic and the collectors, as on the part of the general public".

Photo. Ione Adán. Work in the image by François Bel.

Art Madrid, in addition to showing a unique showcase of contemporary creation and promoting the contemporary art collecting, is a space in which artists, gallerists, curators, critics and other cultural agents create new relationships, propose future collaborations or commission upcoming works. And, although the show has concluded, the work of Art Madrid team continues the rest of the year in its digital version, through communication and the online art shopping platform: Art Madrid Market.

Thank you very much for being part of one of the most successful editions of Art Madrid!

ART MADRID CLOSES ITS 21ST EDITION AS A KEY EVENT OF MADRID ART WEEK

The Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles hosted the 21st edition of Art Madrid from March 4 to 8, once again consolidating its role as one of the must-see events of Madrid Art Week. Over the course of five days, the fair brought together 35 national and international galleries and more than 200 artists, turning the venue into a meeting point for gallerists, collectors, professionals, and lovers of contemporary art.

Throughout its trajectory, Art Madrid has built a distinct identity, with a constant focus on giving visibility to both emerging and established galleries and on opening contemporary art to diverse audiences. Rather than being structured around a single curatorial line, the fair embraced a plural proposal, respecting the unique DNA of each exhibitor.

Art Madrid’26 presented a Gallery Program distinguished by the diversity of artistic proposals and languages, encouraging dialogue between different generations and contemporary practices. Painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, installation, and new hybrid forms coexisted in an edition that once again confirmed the dynamism of today’s art scene

During the days of the fair, nearly 20,000 visitors explored the booths of the participating galleries and enjoyed a parallel program that expanded the experience beyond the traditional exhibition format.

The Parallel Program: An Expanded Art Fair

The Parallel Program once again took center stage in the Art Madrid experience, activating the fair space through projects that explored new forms of interaction between artworks, artists, and the public.

Among the most notable initiatives was the performance series Open Infinite: What the Body Remembers, which presented a daily performative action at the fair featuring works by Colectivo La Burra Negra, Rocío Valdivieso, Amanda Gatti, and Jimena Tercero. The pieces incorporated the body as a critical device and a space of memory, reinforcing the presence of performance within Art Madrid’s programming.

The third edition of Open Booth presented Despiece. Protocolo de mutación, by Daniel Barrio, a site-specific project that transformed the booth into a landscape constructed from urban remnants and industrial materials. The installation invited visitors to physically engage with the work, creating an immersive experience within the exhibition space.

Meanwhile, Espacio Nebrija hosted the project Estancias transitorias (NotanIA SipedagogIE), a proposal by Nebrija University that reflected on Aesthetic Intelligence in the face of the growing dominance of algorithmic logic. The installation proposed a reclamation of gesture, materiality, and the time inherent to the creative process as dimensions that cannot be reduced to automation.

Lecturas. Curated Walkthroughs also returned, with itineraries designed by Zuriñe Lafón and Marisol Salanova that offered curatorial insights for exploring the fair from specific critical perspectives and expanding the visitor experience.

Patronage, Awards, and Acquisitions

Support for contemporary creation once again stood as one of the fair’s central pillars through the second edition of the Art Madrid Patronage Program, which recognizes the work of artists and strengthens the connections between galleries, collectors, and private entities.

On this occasion, the following awards were presented:

Cervezas Alhambra Emerging Artist Award Iyán Castaño, represented by Galería Arancha Osoro

One Shot Hotels Breakthrough Artist Award Joost Vandebrug, represented by KANT Gallery

In the Acquisition Awards category, several private collections incorporated works presented at the fair into their collections.

Studiolo Collection Roger Sanguino — DDR Art Gallery

Devesa Law Kim Han Ki — Banditrazos Gallery

E2IN2 Collection Albert Bonet — Inéditad Gallery

dn2 Collection Iván Baizán — Galería Arancha Osoro

These acquisitions reflect the private sector’s commitment to the development of contemporary art and contribute to advancing the professional trajectories of emerging and mid-career artists.

Collecting and Support for the Artistic Ecosystem

The promotion of collecting once again played a prominent role in this edition thanks to the One Shot Collectors program, which offered personalized advice to both new buyers and more experienced collectors, facilitating access to the contemporary art market and fostering direct relationships between artists, galleries, buyers, and collectors.

This program, together with the Patronage Program, continues to strengthen the professional ecosystem surrounding the fair and reinforce Art Madrid’s commitment to supporting contemporary creation.

Among the most notable sales were works by Antonio Ovejero, represented by CLC ARTE; Leticia Feduchi and Ángela Mena, represented by Galería Sigüenza; Idoia Cuesta and Iyán Castaño, represented by Galería Arancha Osoro; and Yasiel Elizagaray, represented by Nuno Sacramento Arte Contemporânea. Likewise, the proposals presented by Inéditad Gallery were very well received, with notable sales of works by artists Albert Bonet and Eduardo UrdIales, as well as Carmen Mansilla, who debuted at Art Madrid'26 and achieved a sold out.

The overall balance of the edition has been particularly positive, with sales reported by all 35 participating galleries, confirming the strong interest from collectors and the dynamism of the market throughout the fair. Among the galleries that recorded notable commercial activity are La Mercería (Valencia), LAVIO (Murcia–Shanghai), 3 Punts Galería (Barcelona), Galerie One (Paris), Shiras Galería (Valencia), Galería Rodrigo Juarranz (Aranda de Duero), Galería São Mamede (Lisbon), Yiri Arts (Taiwan), and Trema Arte Contemporânea (Lisbon), among others.

A Fair made possible thanks to Its network of Partners

The success of Art Madrid’26 has been made possible thanks to the support of its official sponsors: Cervezas Alhambra, One Shot Hotels, Liquitex, Universidad Nebrija, and Posca, as well as the trust of its collaborators: Asociación 9915, Colección Studiolo, E2IN2, Colección dn2, Devesa Law, Enviarte, Cova 13, and Vanille Bakery Lab & Café. The fair also benefits from the involvement of its media partners and the support of various cultural organizations, private collections, and institutions that contribute to strengthening the contemporary art ecosystem.

Art Madrid: A Future Full of Possibilities

After 21 years of history, Art Madrid continues to consolidate its position as a key event in the contemporary art calendar, both nationally and internationally. Its ability to bring together galleries, artists, collectors, and institutions reinforces its role as a space for encounter, exchange, and discovery. The fair maintains a steadily growing outlook, driven by a program that evolves each year and increasingly opens up to more innovative proposals.

Thank you for being part of the 21st edition of Art Madrid. Your support is essential for continuing to promote art and culture.

See You at Art Madrid’27!