Arco Madrid has regained its pulse. After three years marked by the health crisis, the country’s most important contemporary art fair is preparing for its next edition, the 43rd, in which the Caribbean will be the protagonist. “Expectations are very good,” says Maribel López, director of the event, which has established itself as a gateway to Europe for international artists from across the Atlantic. “Since its creation in 1982, Arco Madrid has invested in the international market and public, and in recent years has turned its attention to the countries of the Americas,” explains the organizer of the event.
Around twenty Latin American galleries will be represented in this new edition, which will take place from March 6th to 10th, 2024 at Ifema Madrid, led by Sara Hermann, curator and art historian, and Carla Acevedo-Yates, also curator, researcher and art critic, were selected to participate. art in the region. Last year, Arco Madrid gathered a total of 211 galleries, 66% of which were international (140) and 21% from Latin America, notably Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru.
This is not the first time interest has been shown in countries in the region, with previous editions highlighting Peru in 2019, Argentina in 2017, Colombia in 2015, Brazil in 2008 and Mexico in 2005. Chile rejected the proposal Due to the political instability at the time, the featured country was not selected in 2021. “It is true that there is an interest and a will to present Latin America to the world through the fair, and has been for more than a decade”, emphasizes the representative of the event, which this year counted 95,000 visitors (38,000 professionals ), confirming its recovery and beating pre-pandemic numbers.
According to López, the atmosphere of optimism that pervaded this year’s call reflected the renewed confidence of the players in the art market. This led to favorable sales dynamics, with purchases by both buyers and public institutions adding new works to their museums and collections. “In Arco Madrid this year we rediscovered that feeling of energy. “There was euphoria to take part and visit the works,” he emphasizes. This enthusiasm is expected to continue in the next edition as the global contemporary art market has weathered the storm of the health crisis.
According to a report published by Art Basel, the global contemporary art market grew by 3% in 2022, reaching $67.8 billion (around €61.95 billion at current exchange rates), surpassing $64.4 billion (March 58, 2022). .84 billion euros) in 2019 and UBS. However, art fairs have not yet fully recovered. In 2022, 346 events were organized compared to 408 before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Revenues from events of this type grew 27% in 2022 and accounted for 35% of transactions made by galleries. “While this represents significant growth, this percentage is 7% lower than in 2019,” explains analysis by Clare McAndrew, cultural economist. The recovery is expected to continue through the end of the year.
Art Basel and UBS estimate that there will be around 377 fairs by the end of this financial year. “Art lovers have discovered in the last two years that there is nothing more beautiful than standing in front of a work in person, in a space where you can also be with another person and enter into a dialogue,” says López, from Arco Madrid, which has also become a space for research.
Until 2024, the general program will consist of galleries selected by the organizing committee, composed of José Aloy (from Polígrafa Obra Gràfica), Elba Benítez (from his own company), Eduardo Brandão (from Vermelho), Vera Cortês (from the gallery of the same name ), Henrique Faria, Pedro Maisterra (by Maisterravalbuena), Alex Mor (by Mor Charpentier), Iñigo Navarro (by Leandro Navarro), Sten Nordenhake (by Nordenhake), Silvia Ortiz (by Travesía Cuatro) and Rosa Santos. In addition, there will be a section entitled “Opening” designed to explore the international scene of young galleries, with selections by Yina Jiménez Suriel and Cristina Anglada, and the section “Never the Same” dedicated to Latin American art and by Manuela Moscoso and José Esparza are curated. Chong Cuy. On the other hand, in its commitment to promoting collecting, ArtsLibris once again becomes a point of reference for the world of artists’ publications, self-publishing, photo books and contemporary thought. “There is room for every audience at the fair,” says López. “Arco Madrid encompasses a wide spectrum of people, from collectors and museum directors to gallery owners, but it also caters to art lovers, those who do not shop, as well as artists and students,” points out the person responsible for the case.
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