For the second consecutive year, Liquitex, a world reference brand in professional acrylic, joins Art Madrid as a sponsor, and in its desire to empower the artist and support contemporary creation, it will award a prize in material from the brand valued at €1,000 that will be granted to one of the artists participating in the fair who work with acrylic in their pieces.

The Award decision will take place on February 14 and will be communicated through our Instagram channel. To choose the winner on this occasion, they are consulting with the public through this online form in which they can vote for one of the three finalists pre-selected by the brand: Moisés Yagües, Lino Lago, or Daniel Sueiras. They will also raffle off a set of Liquitex products and tickets to our fair to encourage public voting.

Learn more about the brand and its actions as part of its commitment to the environment and the artistic community:

At Liquitex, they believe in the power of artistic expression to create a better world where artists and communities can thrive: a world where more is given back than received and social and environmental value is created.

They realize that change can be challenging, but they take immediate action to make their vision a reality. Empowering the community, innovating across all of its products and packaging, and integrating sustainability into each of its practices, maintaining the high-quality product offering artists expect, and collectively leaving a more positive footprint for everyone's future.

EMPOWERING ARTISTS

Desde Liquitex confían firmemente en la fórmula “empowering artists” como la mejor forma de conseguir sus objetivos, asegurando un mundo en el que las futuras generaciones puedan crear con garantías, dando prioridad a los espacios seguros From Liquitex, they firmly trust the formula "empowering artists" as the best way to achieve their objectives, ensuring a world in which future generations can create with guarantees, prioritizing safe spaces for artistic expression. In addition, they base this empowerment of emerging talents on their residency programs and the different prizes they award.

SAFE MATERIALS

Another fundamental pillar to understand the Liquitex brand is its continuous effort to provide safe artistic materials, certified by the Art and Creative Materials Institute, Inc., seeking to safeguard the safety of artists, as well as innovation to achieve a more positive impact on the environment. From the packaging to the product's composition, Liquitex is fully committed to betting on sustainable and innovative solutions that maintain the quality and performance of the product, leaving no trace other than that of the paint in our hands.

The progress hasn't stopped since 2017, with the introduction of cadmium-free Heavy Body colors, the first cadmium alternative with truly equivalent performance to paints containing heavy metal, all thanks to in-lab innovation. This year 2023, progress continues thanks to the partnership with Waste2Wear, pioneers in solutions for innovative plastic recycling; they use blockchain technology to offer 100% traceable and sustainable textiles. As part of the sustainability program, "A Positive Mark", the brand will launch a new line of canvases made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, identified with the SUSTAIN label, being the first items in this new Liquitex category. , in the coming months, they will be available in art establishments.

The brand will continue its vision of launching more sustainable materials within its "Professional" range, integrate sustainability practices throughout its activity, and contribute its constant support to the artist community.

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.