Works by the main representatives of the 20th century avant-garde, installations, Egyptian art, pop surrealism, stained glass, cement sculptures and art toys. Madrid Art Week, which this year is being held for the first time in March instead of February, has long ceased to be exclusively an event dedicated to contemporary art. Although Arco, the main fair with more than 200 galleries from 36 countries that starts on Wednesday, focuses almost entirely on current creation, there is a diverse offer for varied tastes in what is popularly known as “satellite fairs”.
“Sometimes we are treated in a derogatory way, but we don’t perceive ourselves that way, we have a clear vision of our work. The proposals that revolve around Art Week are complementary, they represent other forms of creation,” assures Yudinela Ortega, artistic director of Art Madrid, possibly the most important satellite event in terms of duration (19 editions) and international projection, which has transcended its satellite status. Although its proposal is not as broad as that of the main event, the directors of these fairs claim to feel closer to their visitors. “Here comes a public that doesn’t feel intimidated like in Arco, they can have direct contact with the works, talk to the specialists and almost touch the pieces,” assures Jorge Alcolea, founder of the Salon of Modern Art (SAM), specialized in the avant-garde of the 20th century and that this year will feature an exhibition (something uncommon in art fairs) that connects ancient and contemporary art.
In addition to the catalog, there are other elements with which they seek to differentiate themselves, such as the choice of venues open to the public for the “democratization” of art. Flecha, which exhibits more than 300 works by 57 artists in the Arturo Soria shopping center, is a clear example. “We compete with the store windows, but between 10 and 13,000 people pass through each day,” says José Luis Aguirre, director of the only fair with free admission. Secondary activities are also important in forging its identity. JustMad, for instance, in addition to highlighting emerging trends, bets on research projects like JustLatam, a series of lectures on gallerists and artists linked to Latin America. Meanwhile, UVNT Art Fair, which this year premieres at the Matadero and is “in a moment of change”, according to its creator Sergio Sancho, proposes a public art program with interventions in Madrid’s streets and squares. Below, a map to facilitate the arrival to what each palate demands.
From March 6 to 10 at the Galería de Cristal del Palacio de Cibeles, Art Madrid.
This fair, celebrating its 19th edition, presents more than 400 works by 36 galleries (25 national and 11 international). For the past six years, it has been devoted exclusively to contemporary art, consolidating its profile as an event that closely follows up-and-coming art, current trends and new aesthetic codes. This inclination is reflected in the first cycle of four performances that will take place every day starting Thursday at 7 p.m., as well as in an installation by María Tellme and an artistic intervention by Casa Antillón. The organizers’ interest in the new ironic figurative art (like that of Albert Bonet of Inéditad Gallery), satirical (represented by Jorge Luis Rodriguez Marrero of Collage Habana) or macabre (through Adrian GoMa, also of Inéditad Gallery) is evident.
From March 7 to 10 at the Palacio de Neptuno, JustMad.
JustMad, which celebrates its 15th anniversary, is mainly identified with the young and the new. Its creators describe it as “a space of discovery. A place to find new talents”. In this edition, it brings 44 galleries to the Palacio de Neptuno, half of which are emerging and new to the art circuit. With the end of the pandemic restrictions, the fair once again highlights its connection with Latin American art through the JustLatam cycle, with the participation of seven galleries from the region and another six with artists from Latin America. Emerging trends on the other side of the ocean can be observed, such as the exploration of the notion of territory and the return to millenary artistic techniques, present in the work of Argentine photographer Patricia Viel (at Skiascope gallery) and Venezuelan ceramist Manuel Buylla (at La Trini espai d’art), respectively.
From March 7 to 10 at the Matadero, UVNT Art Fair.
After several years at the Colegio de Arquitectos de Madrid, UVNT moves to the Matadero for its eighth edition. “Some galleries needed more space,” justifies Sergio Sancho, its director and founder. In a tent 10 meters high and almost 3,000 square meters, it will host 38 galleries, highlighting the presence of pop surrealism (like Santi Lara from Llamazares Gallery) and new pop art (represented by Ela Fidalgo from La Bibi Gallery), distinctive features of the fair.
Until March 17 at the Arturo Soria shopping center, Flecha.
The gallery owner and artist José Luis Aguirre organized an exhibition to showcase his own works and those of his friends at the now defunct antique shop Sección Áurea. One of the buyers was a member of the Arturo Soria shopping center and suggested that he organize a fair in the plazas, corridors and common areas of the mall. Thus Flecha was born 34 years ago. For the last seven years, it has also been operating as a gallery and has a stand at Art Madrid. In each edition, it awards the “flechazo” prize, which this year went to Juan José Botella. Among the more than 300 works, the lithograph “Gran Vía 1 de enero” by Antonio López and the abstract work “Miradas” by Eduardo Vega de Seoane stand out.
Until March 10 at the Carlos de Amberes Foundation, Salón de Arte Moderno (SAM).
“The ideal proposal for those who wish to delve into the world of art in a boutique environment”, this is how this luxury fair in the Salamanca neighborhood is described on its website. Works by Dalí, Picasso, Sorolla or Miró are available through 15 galleries specialized in 20th century art. “In Spain there is a very important market for modern art and gallery owners have been demanding a space like this for seven years,” explains Jorge Alcolea. This year, the fair will present a temporary exhibition entitled “Inevitable Art. Origins and Correspondences”, curated by Jaime Vallaure, which establishes connections between contemporary art and ancient art, from classical antiquity to the Gothic. Among this year’s delicacies are Joaquin Sorolla’s “Joaquin with his dog in Javea” canvas, on sale after having been part of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum’s collection since 2013, and a second edition of Federico Garcia Lorca’s “Romancero Gitano”, dedicated to Rafael Suarez Solis by Lorca himself and accompanied by nine original drawings by the author.
From March 7 to 10 in the rooms of the Petit Palace, Hybrid Art Fair.
In its eighth edition, this event turns the rooms of the centrally located Petit Palace hotel into small galleries. The choice of venue is not random: its focus on site-specific installations and ephemeral arts, created in the hotel’s passage spaces, integrates with the interior design and architecture of the nineteenth-century palace of the Marquises of Quintanar.
Until March 10 at the Linares Palace (Casa de América), Standarte.
In its second year, this fair, the most recent of this selection, moves from the Diario de Madrid Foundation to the Linares Palace. It has a similar profile to SAM: it exhibits pieces by 20th century avant-garde artists through nine specialized galleries. On this occasion, it joins the celebration of the centennial of Antoni Tàpies’ birth with a room dedicated exclusively to the Catalan artist, which includes 20 of his works. Among the rarities are a pen drawing by Andy Warhol, entitled “Two children according to Von Gloeden”, and a Roman bust of Emperor Antoninus Pius from the 2nd century, which belonged to a collector from Pennsylvania.
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