PAC Plataforma de Arte Contemporáneo, Art Madrid'19 media partner, presents its latest project: Thertify, an innovative application for all art lovers. In an agile and intuitive way, from now on with Thertify, artists, collectors, art galleries, institutions and any other interested person will be able to connect simultaneously through an online platform that allows ordering, certifying and sharing artwork collections.

It is a new application that opens infinite possibilities because it takes in a network that allows storing, classifying, managing and connecting data regarding works that shape an art collection. In addition, it offers a new online authentication format that includes the possibility of certifying the authorship of the piece digitally.

"Connect, organize, classify, save, certify, revalue, disseminate and promote the most current art through Thertify"

As its creators explain, "the art market is undergoing a complete revolution and its transformation comes hand in hand with the Internet. The network has become, not only a tool for managing and art purchasing but also a global showcase where to see and be seen. The digital age has created a new way of enjoying and consuming art and with it new generations of collectors. "If we live in the Information Age, of the new media and virtual reality, why not benefit from the advances that, in the same way, can also be applied to the culture sector?

Available for IOS and for Android, where you can download this revolutionary App and discover a new concept of collecting created for our digital era.

As many of you know, PAC Plataforma de Arte Contemporáneo is one of the cultural digital spaces with the greatest growth and impact of recent years in the Spanish-speaking context. Formed by a young and vital team of editors and collaborators, with Óscar García leading them, they maintain a close relationship with contemporary art, the current exhibition scene and the exhibition circuits.

In addition to the extensive and always updated content it offers, PAC stands out for developing and getting involved in different projects, such as publishing the "Ensayos Absolut", "PAC on Tour" or "#ProyectoPuente", the first Urban Art Auction held in Spain. Among these projects the #NOPORAMORALARTE stands out, becoming one of the most interesting initiatives of the sector. Under this slogan, the project promotes the real, fair and economic recognition of the work of artists and other agents of a sector in which, unfortunately, much remains to be improved in relation to professional practices. PAC achieved the empathy and support of numerous artists, curators and collectors, and even a documentary about the experience was created. Another of the most interesting initiatives is "Woman Art House", coordinated by Sara Torres. The project, born within the Twitter network and today also promoted by PAC, aims to vindicate the role and trajectory of contemporary women artists in the history of art, from a rigorous, educational and inclusive vision.

For more information about Thertify please check out here

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.