Art Madrid'25 – Hispánica Contemporánea gallery in Art Madrid\'15

Fotografía de Jessica Lange.

 

The Hispánica Gallery, founded in Madrid, has opened its new space in Mexico in 2012, under the name of Gallery Hispánica Contemporánea. Both locals offer pieces of all the disciplines: photography, original print work, painting, sculpture, installation... "Contemporánea" space was born with aim of promoting Spanish artists in Latin America, and at the same time, helping to diffusion of Latin American artists in Spain. On the other hand, one of the strongest points of the Mexican local is its unconditional bet for artists books' edition. Thus, a section of artists bibliophily has been placed to exhibit copies, some of them have original engravings of artists, besides facsimile works and some antique books.

Obra de Hugo Fontela.

 

The gallery of Colonia Roma Norte, in México DF, has also the particularity of sharing its building with an artist studio: Xavier Marcaró, who works in the second and third floors, while the gallery occupies the first one.

 

True to its spirit, Hispánica Contemporánea brings to Art Madrid'15 pieces from both sides of the Atlantic: Manolo Valdés, Hugo Fontela, Jessica Lange, Mel Bochner and Xavier Mascaró.

 
 

Fotografía de Jessica Lange.

 

An important novelty in its proposal for 2015 is the work of Jessica Lange, that visits Art Madrid for the first time. This artist from Minnesota, mainly known by her trajectory as actress, has been, nevertheless, an eternal passionate of photography, whose production has alternated all her life with her cinematographic profession. In the last years, Jessica has dedicated herself to photography and has started to explore this creative faction that till the moment had almost been an unknown aspect of her personality. The subjects of her pieces are above all urban and countryside landscapes from the countries she goes across, with special attention to Mexico, connection point with the gallery.

 

Obra de Mel Bochner.

 

Another artist come from the other side of the atlantic coast is Mel Bochner. This artist born in Pittsburgh, moved soon to New York, where he lives and works. Recognized since he was very young, he is now considered an established artist whose presence can not be missed in the greatest international fairs like ArtBasel, Arco or Art Basel Miami. However, he had hardly had presence in Mexico, lack that Gallery Hispanica has tried to cover since its opening. This creator started his career in the 60's decade as an authentic pioneer of conceptual art that was all the rage in U.S.A. at that moment. Since 2000, his creative trajectory has turned more to pop art.

 
 

 

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.