Art Madrid'25 – THE OWN BRAND OF OUR SOLITARY GALLERIES

In this edition we have the pleasure of having galleries from different points of Spanish geography, Cantabria, Bilbao, Mallorca and Aranda de Duero were not going to be less. With a long experience in the sector, these four protagonists illustrate us with the works of their best artists.

 

 

Nacho Angulo, Map, 2016. Mixed technique on wood

 

 

The Spiral Gallery, lived its beginnings to the west of the Cantabrian community, changing its location in 2013, premiering in Noja, a small town with a view to the sea that does not leave indifferent to the landscape that surrounds it. Directed by Manuel Sáenz-Messía and Ana Laguna Vela, in its beginnings began to expose the SIANOJA Collection. With the passing of the years, his dealings with contemporary art have crossed frontiers, developing in the same way with national and international art.

 

The first and second markets were not a challenge to display their innovative languages ??and always to the latest trend. One of its strengths is the great commitment of its gallerists for visibility at national and international fairs of different cities such as Brussels, Strasbourg, Lille, Santander and of course, Madrid. The artists that are going to exhibit in this February edition are: Nacho Angulo, Joaquín Martínez Cano, Antonio Maya, Eduardo Vega Seoane and José Antonio Quintana. All of them are professionals of the sector.

 

 

Rut Olabarri, Self-portrait with table, 2016. Watercolor

 

From Cantabria we travel to Bilbao and here we are welcomed by the Vanguardia gallery. This showcase focuses its attention on the commercialization of the most current and contemporary art. Their great activity when it comes to posing samples and exhibitions makes them stand out. With an average of 6 to 7 annual exhibitions, Vanguardia bets on national and international artists. The new technologies and their commitment to parallel activities reinforce the dynamic and entrepreneurial spirit of the same.

 

The proposal presented by the gallery, with the artist Ruth Olabarri as the protagonist approaches the theme of Basque matriarchalism based on the legend of the Goddess Mari. It raises the description of the character through the objects that represent or belong to it. It also inquires into the symbolism of folklore through dress and ornamentation.

 

 

Cristina Mur, Unfurling the Wings, 2016. Acrylic and oil on linen

 

 

Entering a little more in the center of the territory, we move to Aranda de Duero (Burgos) where the gallery Rodrigo Juarranz opens its doors. This past year in 2016, the gallery turned 10 years and what better way to celebrate than in the 12th edition of Art Madrid. His best gifts have been to meet two goals of great weight, promoting and marketing contemporary art, a task not easy for the times that run. The eclecticism of its exhibitions plays with the alternation of showing artists of recognized prestige with young powers of great international repercussion.

 

All a certain when it comes to projecting such exhibitions. But, his work does not end here apart from participating in numerous national and international fairs. The gallery Rodrigo juarranz has published books and catalogs, completing them with the edition of multiple works in engraving and sculpture. For their stand at the fair they have bet by Mar Solís, Marcos Tamargo, Cristina Mur, Beatriz Díaz Ceballos and Diego Beneitez. Five personalities that will give life to the space of this gallery in Burgos.

 

 

Rubén Torras Llorca, Neo-Coliseum, 2016. Mixed technique on canvas

 

 

Leaving the peninsula aside, we flew to Majorca and landed in the Pep Llabrés gallery, a whim of the island that can be visited in the capital. With more than 25 years of experience in the sector, its gallery owner opened the doors of this new space only two years ago. From this new experience he has focused his objectives on betting on the freshest contemporary art.

 

As the main engine, we highlight the young and dynamic art that supports the most youthful values ??of the sector. The new languages ??of expression, coupled with the experience of great consecrated artists and together bet on the union of different streams that show the identity of the gallery. Robert Ferrer i Martorell and Rubén Torras Llorca, represents the perfection of the theory that wants to make known the gallery in Art Madrid 17.

 

 

 

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.