THE ART MADRID PATRONAGE PROGRAM IS LAUNCHED

This year, Art Madrid reinforces its support for artistic creation through its Patronage Program. This initiative aims to give greater visibility to artists and strengthen collecting through three lines of action: Acquisition Awards, Emerging Artist Award, and Residency Award.

Acquisition Awards

Three entities —Colección Studiolo, Colección E2IN2, and Devesa Law— reinforce their commitment to contemporary art by acquiring works from artists represented at the fair. Their determination not only contributes to the promotion of art but also fosters the growth of artists and strengthens the collecting ecosystem.

These types of initiatives are essential for ensuring the continuity and growth of creators. Thanks to these acquisition awards, the selected works will become part of important private collections, guaranteeing their preservation and dissemination within the artistic circuit.

Emerging Artist Award

Supporting young talent is another fundamental pillar. The hotel chain One Shot, in addition to sponsoring the One Shot Collectors program, awards a cash prize to an emerging artist who stands out for their innovative proposal at the fair.

This prize represents a key opportunity for artists in the process of consolidation, helping support their professional development and providing financial backing to allow them to continue exploring new avenues in their artistic production. Through this initiative, One Shot strengthens its commitment to art and the promotion of new voices in the contemporary art scene.

Residency Award

As part of the Patronage Program, Art Madrid and DOM Art Residence, in collaboration with ExtrArtis, have designed an artist residency program that will take place in Sorrento, Italy, during August 2025.

With these three initiatives, Art Madrid's Patronage Program positions itself as a platform for direct support of artistic creation, providing access to resources, visibility, and key opportunities for artists.

About Colección Studiolo

Colección Studiolo is a contemporary art collection that focuses on supporting and promoting emerging and established artists. The collection, known for its commitment to artistic innovation, plays a key role in enhancing the visibility of contemporary art. As part of the 20th edition of Art Madrid, which will take place from March 5 to 9 at the Galería de Cristal of the Palacio de Cibeles, Colección Studiolo, in its important role of supporting contemporary art and its commitment to promoting collecting, joins Art Madrid's Patronage Program.

About Colección E2IN2

E2IN2 is an organization that participates in projects generating high economic and social added value. E2IN2 supports artistic talent and is currently seeking collaborators to exhibit works from its art collection.

About Devesa Law

Devesa is a national law firm specializing in business law. Our mission is to add value to companies, investors, and institutions operating in Spain through excellent legal and tax services. Founded in 2007, our organization currently has offices in Madrid, Alicante, and Valencia, from which we provide services across the entire country.

About One Shot

One Shot Hotels is a boutique hotel chain that focuses on design, creativity, and prime locations in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, San Sebastián, and Porto. Since its founding in 2013, the brand has built a unique identity where art, culture, and beauty are an essential part of the guest experience. Each of its hotels is designed to be much more than just accommodation: they are spaces with soul, where aesthetics and artistic sensitivity are integrated into every detail.

In line with this commitment, One Shot Hotels returns as a sponsor of Art Madrid, reaffirming its support for artistic creation in all its forms. The chain views art as a universal language that connects people and transforms spaces, and this philosophy is reflected in the design of its hotels, the selection of its furniture, and the arrangement of its environments. Creativity and inspiration are experienced in every corner, offering guests an experience that goes beyond the conventional.

About DOM Art Residence

DOM Art Residence is a hybrid project that combines a nomadic artist residency, a contemporary art group exhibition, and an online gallery featuring works by resident artists.

The Art Madrid Patronage Program aims to strengthen the contemporary art ecosystem and offer both artists and collectors the opportunity to actively participate in the development and dissemination of new ways to build an ecosystem for the preservation of artworks and the strengthening of collecting.

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.