Photo by Lorena Esteban courtesy of TOO MANY FLASH

ART MADRID has proved in its coming-of-age edition that it is a fair without labels, generalist but alive. Celebrated at the Galería de Cristal del Palacio de Cibeles from February the 22nd to the 26th, the contemporary art event has returned renovated, committed to new gallery models, launching reception platforms for young voices to find their place in the current scene, and interested in approaching new audiences to the project. The eighteenth edition of ART MADRID received the visit of important institutions such as: Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (CAAM), INELCOM Collection, CCCB Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona, Centro Museo Vasco de Arte Contemporáneo (ARTIUM), Fundación Ankaria, Fundación Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Fundación Santander, Fundación Mª Cristina Masaveu Peterson, Fundación Telefónica, Fundación Tara Mujeres Emprendedoras, Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (IVAM), Museo de Navarra, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS) among others.

ART MADRID brought together 36 national and international galleries and more than 160 artists at the Galería de Cristal del Palacio de Cibeles. Their testimonials confirm the success of the edition and confirm the fair's desire to continue working for the professionalization of the sector.

OOA Gallery: "We are very satisfied with our second participation in ART MADRID. It was a very good edition, with the visit of many collectors and interest in African contemporary art. Total success."

Galerie LJ: "In our third participation, ART MADRID once again made it possible for us to meet with a huge Spanish audience, giving us the opportunity year after year to be able to expand our local network."

Galería Metro: "Our participation in ART MADRID'23 has been fantastic. The results exceeded our expectations: both in terms of visibility and sales of our artists, number of visitors, as well as new and interesting contacts."

Photo by Madelina Pana courtesy of TOO MANY FLASH

It is important to highlight the sales results: 10% of the works sold were priced at over 20,000 €; 14% were pieces between 8,000 and 20,000 €; 36% ranged between 3,000 and 8,000 €; while 40% of the acquisitions were of works in the range of up to 3,000 €. In view of these data, it could be concluded that ART MADRID is positioned as a fair to get started in collecting. It also highlights the presence of a bigger international public, specifically international collectors who want to expand their collections with Spanish artists.

The collections that made acquisitions in this edition include: Art Space Collection, Solo Collection, Mª Cristina Masaveu Peterson Collection, Cuperior Collection, Luciano Méndez Collection, BBVA Foundation, Bassat Foundation, Pamplona City Hall and Paradores Nacionales.

ART MADRID'23 has been possible thanks to the support of its sponsors: One Shot Hotels and Liquitex; its collaborators: AVAM, MMM, Safe Creative, Too many flash and 9915; and the institutions: Ministry of Culture and Sports, Madrid City Council, Community of Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Instituto de Arte Contemporáneo, Solo Collection, Fundación Mª Cristina Masaveu Peterson, Ministry of Culture of Taiwan and the Economic & Cultural Office of Taipei.

Photo by Madelina Pana courtesy of TOO MANY FLASH

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.