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After decades in the shade, Spain’s art market is now experiencing a boom, making it one of the most exciting countries in Europe for contemporary art today, says Stefan Hottinger-Behmer
As Europe grows closer with the acceptance of a common Euro-zone and the cultural implications that come with it, governments are struggling to strike a balance between integration and preservation of their own cultural values, heritage and traditions. In order to project a strong identity onto the international market, the art world in most European countries has been focused on the capital cities. London, Paris and Berlin are all major destinations for art dealers, collectors and artists. However, it is Spain that offers a truly de-centralised distribution of art centres throughout its territory. Madrid may be holding the top spot, but other cities have more than enough to offer.
The capital’s many museums are testimony of a rich cultural tradition and the many corporate collections reflect a keen interest in the production, promotion and display of new works of art. Madrid’s art scene is shared by the big players and a younger crowd. Top dealer Helga de Alvear – whose gallery represents foreign artists such as Katharina Grosse, James Casebere and Elmgreen & Dragset – has headed the group of power art houses in the city for a while now. But with the arrival of the new kids on the block, collectors are venturing outside their safety zones to discover exciting works in alternative environments, shaking off the insularity that has often been attributed to the Spanish art world.
One such venture, opened in 2002 by Marta Moriarty, is Vacío 9. The gallery represents a large group of artists including Belén Uriel, Anne Collier, Mark Tichner and Paola Bragado. Another one of the newer Madrid galleries is Travesía Cuatro, headed by Inés LópezQuesada and Silvia Ortiz, and featuring an inspiring group of mostly young Spanish artists including Tomás Vaquero, who does large gestural abstractions; Juan de Sande, with his photographic images of ruined arrangements; and Gloria García Lorca and her xpressive nonfigurative sculptures. Also in Madrid, the Distrito Cuatro gallery has taken the art scene by storm. Opened a few years ago by curator trio Damián Casado, Isabel Yanguas and Margarita Sánchez, the gallery features a range of international artists as well as a significant number of home-grown talents. Daniele Buetti, Richard Deacon, James Rielly and Pia Fries share the walls of the new space with up-and-coming stars of the local scene, such as abstractionist Dario Urzay who mixes photography with paint resulting in mysterious abstractions.
In Catalunya, the bohemian city of Barcelona is home to a younger and slightly more experimental art scene. Important museums and institutions, such as the MACBA and the CCCB, open their doors to display not only world-famous art, but also works by young artists. One such event is the Barcelona Arte Contemporaneo (BAC) festival, which takes place in November/ December every year. It provides a platform for national and international artists to interact with various spaces in the city, bringing together a fresh and vibrant selection of new works, often crossing over with fashion and music. Organised by La Santa Proyectos Culturales, the festival attracts high numbers of visitors to its venues and represents an important addition to the thriving art scene in the city.
In Andalusia, Malaga hosts a distinctive project that perfectly reflects Spain’s multi-faceted art scene: Casa Borne is a contemporary art gallery promoting and showing works by young artists. Through nine exhibitions every year, the gallery brings some of the best in contemporary art to the region.
Other parts of Spain feature prominently as well. Consider the city of Valencia, known as the country’s getaway to the Mediterranean, with all the charms of a seaport city. It is home to one of Spain’s most important movers-and-shakers in the art world: Luis Adelantado. Since 1985 the Spaniard has been showing fantastic works of art at his five-storey space in the historic centre of the city. Equally contributing to the city’s rich cultural program is Nacho Valle’s Valle Orti gallery. Among the younger artists in the gallery is 25-year-old photographer Vanessa Pastor, who processes themes of solitude and loneliness with her “Rag Dolls” series of video performances and photographs.
The Basque country also offers its fair share of options to art aficionados. With a relatively lively young art scene, it has been put on the map by the opening of Frank Gehry’s fantastic Guggenheim museum. Last year has seen a remarkable retrospective of Yves Klein’s works and this year a fantastic display of Russian art has brought thousands to the city.
Despite the fair distribution of the market throughout Spain, there is one annual February event that brings them all together to the capital city of Madrid: Arco. It’s Spain’s most important contemporary art fair and the world’s biggest in visitor numbers. At Arco, the indigenous art scene comes together to measure forces with international players. The excitement over Arco spreads throughout Spanish society. It’s inaugurated by the Spanish royal family and a succession of cocktail parties keep socialites busy during a full week dedicated to art. Exhibitions are held throughout the capital, while original posters and interventions fill various open spaces in the city.
Even more important than the question of quantity is the high quality of the participating galleries. Proof of this is the presence at Arco of some of the world’s most prestigious international art dealers, especially those from Western Europe and the US.
The local contemporary art scene has come a long way since the first edition of the fair was held 26 years ago with only a small selection of Spanish dealers. Back then, the country that produced Picasso and Dalí was still emerging, not only from a 40-year dictatorship, but also from a century-long art market slumber. The declining wealth and conservatism of the country’s traditional patrons left the vanguard orphaned, according to Rosina GómezBaeza, director of the fair for 20 years.
From north to south, west to east, the Spanish art scene offers something for everyone. Whether visiting one of its many museums or a private gallery, visitors will not be disappointed by the range, scope and quality of the art on offer.
■ ARCO Contemporary Art Fair
15-19 February 2007 Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I, Madrid
■ MID_E 2006
Art / Music / Fashion 27 November – 1 December 2006 www.mid-e.com
■ BAC!
Festival of Contemporary Art November – December 2006 www.bacfestival.com
Galleries Galore
MADRID
Galerie Helga de Alvear
General Forquet 12, tel: +34 91 468-0506, www.helgadealvear.net Open: 11am-2pm, 4.30-8.30pm
Vacío 9 Gallery
Calle General Casta~nos 5, tel: +34 91 308-2297, www.vacio9.com
Travesía Cuatro Gallery
Travesia de San Mateo 4, tel: +34 91 310-0098, www.travesiacuatro.com Open: 11am-2pm, 4.30-8.30pm
Gallery Distrito 4
Bárbara de Braganza 2 Tel: +34 91 319-8583 www.distrito4.com Open: 11am-2pm, 4.30-8.30pm
BARCELONA
Macba
Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, Plaça dels Angels, 1, tel: +34 93 412-0810, www.macba.es Open 11am-7pm
CCCB
Montalegre 5, tel: +34 93 306-4100, www.cccb.org Open 11am-7pm
MALAGA
Casa Borne
Cjón. La Gloria 1, Antequerra, tel: +34 952 846-380, www.casaborne.com Open 4-7pm
VALENCIA
Galeria Luis Adelantado
Calle Bonaire 6, tel: +34 96 351-0179, www.luisadelantadovalencia.com
Valle Orti Gallery
Calle Avellanas 22, tel: +34 96 392-2277, www.valleorti.com
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