Art Madrid celebrates its 15th edition with the sponsorship of Royal Bliss a festive and transformative proposal to celebrate art in all its glory.

The Crystal Gallery of the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid becomes a experiential space and artistic transformation to promote art in all its forms and styles. From Art Madrid'20 we want the public to enjoy a complete event during the five days of the fair. To observe, perceive and interpret the experience of attending an art fair. What better way to do this than with the collaboration and sponsorship of Royal Bliss and their commitment to the freedom of mixing. Because with Royal Bliss you can mix as you like and thus discover your own work of art, that is Freedom to mix.

Thus, Royal Bliss trusts in the mixture of two apparently unconnected disciplines: art and mixology. Thanks to this union, the audience will be able to enjoy an extraordinary experience in the space that Royal Bliss will have within Art Madrid'20. A place dedicated to discovering the power of mixology in all its forms. On the one hand, we will have the possibility of tasting the mixes prepared with the wide range of mixers from Royal Bliss, with more than 40 shades that allow you to transform your cocktail in a versatile way until you reach the most personal result. The idea is to try and get to know all the possibilities offered by Freedom to mix, a proposal born from the need to get to know and expand new ways. Royal Bliss is committed to the liberalization of the mix, ensuring a good result when you risk transforming and exploring the path.

The direct artistic intervention could not be absent from this space. We materialized together the initial point which the union of Royal Bliss with Art Madrid takes place: to develop art in all its forms and styles, to investigate artistic expression and to demonstrate that art can be found in diverse places, from a canvas to a glass. To this effect, Royal Bliss presents five artists who will make their own interpretation of the painting "The Red Dog" by Paul Gauguin. Five paintings painted by the artists Alex de Marcos, Elena Gual, María Herreros, Sr García and Toni Ferrer. The final result will be the joint representation with the consecutive exhibition of the five versions made from the own interpretation of each artist. A great work of art based on the transformation and the mixture of the styles and personal visions of the artists. The development of the works will take place during the five days of the fair to accompany and star in this space from beginning to end.

The freedom to inspire, create and explore, to transform and mix are the foundations of Art Madrid and also of Royal Bliss. From observing a painting to enjoying and sharing a cocktail are part of this complete artistic experience. Not two editions of Art Madrid are the same. We are committed to change and development in contemporary art with a different staging alongside Royal Bliss so that each attendee gets a unique and personal experience from their visit. On February 26th, the great festival of art begins in the heart of Madrid.

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.