NX ART MADRID. Intervened by Casa Antillón. Image courtesy of Lexus.

LEXUS PRESENTS THE NX ART MADRID

ART MADRID'24 JOINS LEXUS TO EXCLUSIVELY PRESENT NX ART MADRID

Lexus joins for the first time Art Madrid'24, one of the most important appointments in the capital's Art Week, which celebrates its nineteenth edition this year. From March 6 to 10 in the Galeria de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles, the public will have the opportunity to witness an extraordinary fusion between artistic creativity and the most innovative technology, with the exclusive presentation of the NX Art Madrid.

NX ART MADRID. Intervened by Casa Antillón. Image courtesy of Lexus.

NX Art Madrid represents a revolutionary collaborative project between Lexus and the Casa Antillón artistic collective. This unique work, designed by the collective's talented artists, transforms the NX crossover into a unique expression of art and design. The exterior of the vehicle becomes a dynamic canvas where silhouettes dance, narrating a mysterious story that invites reflection and imagination.

The design and production process of this masterpiece on wheels took place at Casa Antillón's studio, where the artists conceptualized a project full of symbolism to capture their style in the vehicle. With meticulousness and passion, they used several airbrushes to achieve a handcrafted finish that highlights the small details of the manufacturing and gives life to a piece that is as much a work of art as it is a functional vehicle.

According to the Casa Antillón collective, the silhouettes that adorn NX Art Madrid represent more than just shapes; they are the result of a creative journey, a path of figures and expressions that have evolved over the years. Now, this vehicle-turned-artwork will take this story to unexpected places, inviting each viewer to imagine their own narrative as they observe the movement represented in the silhouettes.

NX ART MADRID. Intervened by Casa Antillón. Image courtesy of Lexus.

Lexus' participation in Art Madrid'24 marks the beginning of Lexus Art Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the connection between art, design and technology. It is an opportunity for the brand to demonstrate its commitment to artistic expression and to explore new forms of collaboration between the art world and the automotive industry.

NX Art Madrid is not only a showcase of Lexus' ability to combine luxury and technology in its vehicles, but also an example of the transformative power of art. It is an invitation to reflect on the intersection between aesthetics and functionality, beauty and engineering. And a celebration of the creative capacity of the human being.

NX ART MADRID. Intervened by Casa Antillón. Image courtesy of Lexus.

During Art Madrid'24, visitors will have the opportunity to admire the NX Art Madrid up close and explore its unique design. In addition, those who wish to take this work of art on wheels will be able to purchase it during the fair, making it an exclusive and distinctive piece that transcends time and space.

This first collaboration between Lexus and Casa Antillón to present the NX Art Madrid at Art Madrid'24 is a testament to how art transcends any discipline and drives development and invention in all creative fields.

NX ART MADRID. Intervened by Casa Antillón. Image courtesy of Lexus.

LEXUS: ALL ROADS LEAD TO 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.