Art Madrid'25 – FRANCIS PICABIA FINALLY IN THE MoMA

Francis Picabia. Je revois en souvenir ma chère Udnie (I see again in memory my dear Udnie). 1914

 

 

Francis Picabia, Paris, 1879-1953. He was a versatile artist, who left a living testimony of more than 200 works. In his 74 years of life, the work he performed was at least varied. Its main characteristic was the freedom with which it expressed itself and expressed its impressions in different artistic disciplines. He never married any style and at the same time was the representative of many. His versatility and chameleon capacity, he was consecrated as the most versatile artist of the avant-garde, and finally the MoMA pays homage to this great deployment.

 

 

Dadaglobe Reconstructed

 

 

In the work of Picabia, it has always been defined as complex as a minimum. Due to the wide variety of styles he has been adopting over the years, he can not even divide his career in stages. It is not attributed its own brand, but at the same time has experimented with different aspects such as pointillism, impressionism, cubism, Dadaism, collage or even ballet, literature and cinema. This sample includes 125 paintings of different formats, 45 drawings, a film, interviews with the author, magazines and even the recital of some of his poems.

 

 

'The Spanish Revolution', by Francis Picabia, 1937

 

 

Friend of the great geniuses of the avant-garde, all the words that came out of their mouths were compliments to his work and personal interpretations of him. Anne Umland, the curator of the exhibition, focuses her hopes on this changing facet of the artist leaving the viewer with a wide range of possibilities when interpreting the works. He sees it as a liberation of our subconscious when it comes to reading the works of Picabia, not to limit an already fixed explanation but to dynamite the structures already preset and to support an anti-artistic feeling.

 

 

View of the exhibition

 

 

The great variety of the work has made possible this great exhibition that shows Picabia in all its splendor. The historical events did not stop his eagerness to continue creating and renewing himself. On the contrary, they were a challenge to achieve the balance between traveling geographically and different artistic styles.

 

 

 

At the most recent edition of Art Madrid, artist Luis Olaso (Bilbao, 1986), represented by Kur Art Gallery (San Sebastián), received the Residency Prize of the Art Madrid Patronage Program. This award, the result of a collaboration between Art Madrid, DOM Art Residence, and the Italian association ExtrArtis, enabled him to undertake an artistic residency in Sorrento (Italy) in August 2025.

Through initiatives like this, the fair reaffirms its support for contemporary creation—a commitment aimed at increasing artists’ visibility and strengthening art collecting through concrete actions such as acquisition prizes, recognition of emerging talents, and international residencies.


Artists in Residence. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.


The DOM & ExtrArtis 2025 Residency Program took place in Sorrento from August 1 to 31, 2025. The artists lived together at Relais La Rupe, a 16th-century villa surrounded by cliffs and centuries-old gardens, which became an ideal setting for experimentation and exchange.

In this edition, residents worked around the theme “Reimagining Genius Loci”, an invitation to reflect on how the movement of people and traditions transforms the “spirit of place.” During the residency, DOM organized two public group exhibitions: the first to present the artists’ previous work, and the second to showcase the projects developed in Sorrento.


Work by Luis Olaso. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.


Luis Olaso’s work moves between expressionist figuration and abstraction, always employing a pictorial language charged with strength and emotion. Initially self-taught, he later graduated in Fine Arts and has developed a solid international career, with exhibitions at venues including JD Malat (London) and Makasiini Contemporary (Turku, Finland), and participation in fairs such as Untitled Miami, Estampa, and Art Madrid itself.

His work is part of prestigious collections, including the Tokyo Contemporary Art Foundation, Fundación SIMCO, and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, and has been recognized in competitions such as the Reina Sofía Prize for Painting and Sculpture and the Ibercaja Young Painting Prize.

In Sorrento, Olaso found a unique context to expand his pictorial research, engaging in dialogue with the Mediterranean landscape and the region’s historical heritage. The residency provided him with time, resources, and a framework for exchange with other international artists, fostering the production of new works that were later presented in the group exhibitions organized by DOM.


Luis Olaso working on his project. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of DOM.

Luis Olaso’s experience at DOM Art Residence concluded with a public showcase of the works produced, reinforcing his presence on the international circuit and consolidating his position as one of the most prominent Basque artists on the contemporary scene.


Through initiatives such as this, Art Madrid demonstrates its active role as a platform for direct support of contemporary creation, creating opportunities for research, production, and intercultural dialogue that extend beyond the fair itself and accompany artists in their professional development.