Business Finance Media Technology Policy Wealth Insights Interviews

Art Art Fairs Art Market Art Reviews Auctions Galleries Museums Interviews

Lifestyle Nightlife & Dining Style Travel Interviews

Power Index Nightlife & Dining Art A.I. PR

About About Observer Advertise With Us Reprints

ARCOmadrid Balances Curatorial Quality With an Easygoing Spirit

At a moment when many art fairs feel overly transactional, ARCOmadrid upholds the idea of the fair as an intellectual and cultural commons.

At 45 years old, ARCOmadrid has been running long enough that generational shifts have taken place in both the galleries that bring work to the fair and the collectors who frequent it.  Director Maribel López, who has been in the position for 15 years, should know. She herself was once a gallerist (“I was not a good gallerist—but I was a passionate gallerist!”), and the experience shaped her devotion and respect “for the gallery as an institution.” When she joined ARCOmadrid in 2011, the fair was weathering rough economic times. “It was difficult to convince galleries to come to Spain,” she told Observer. “That’s changed radically in these years.”

Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter

Thank you for signing up!

By clicking submit, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

By 2015-16 the economy in Spain was improving and things started to shift. “As a constant, we didn’t change the tone in what is important for us. We never chased blue-chip galleries… Sometimes they want to come, sometimes they don’t. We don’t chase them because, for me, that alters the ecosystem too much. ARCO is a fair where people come to discover new artists, to find interesting pieces but not at the highest of prices.”

At its latest edition, held March 4-8 with 211 galleries from 30 countries, there was no sign of a midlife crisis. The goal, according to López, is “the sustainability of the business more than the profit” because ARCOmadrid nourishes Fundación ARCO, which promotes collecting, contemporary art research and the publication of artistic trends and techniques. Founded in 1987, the foundation’s collection includes pieces by Ryan Gander, Beatriz González, Carlos Motta, Oscar Muñoz, Adam Pendleton, Laure Prouvost and Danh Vo.

ARCOmadrid continues to function as a Latin American focal point in Europe. Participation at this year’s fair was 34 percent Spanish and 66 percent international, with more than 31 percent of the international galleries hailing from 11 Latin American countries with a marked........

© Observer