Romulo Celdran, Reality Bites (left) and Zoom 12 (right) at Raquel Ponce gallery stand at Ifema Fair, ARCOmadrid. Via ArtDaily.com
ARCOmadrid, Spain’s biggest and oldest art fair, took place this weekend February 16th through the 20th in Madrid, Spain. ARCOmadrid celebrated its 30th Anniversary this year with 197 galleries from 21 countries. This year’s fair was perhaps a smaller and more centralized event than previous years and had a special focus on Russian contemporary art. Carlos Urroz, the new director of ARCOmadrid, stated in an interview with Vernissage TV, “I think this year people will find a smaller fair, with less galleries and only two pavilions [and] with all of the projects surrounding ARCO trying to focus the attention on the participating galleries and the works exhibited.” “I think what’s special about ARCO is the relationship between Latin American and European galleries,” Urroz continued.
Fernando Botero’s The Beach, (2006) was featured at the booth of Marlborough Gallery, the highest priced painting at the fair at 946,000 euros (3.1 million dollars). Via ArtKnowledgeNews.com
More Text and images after the jump…
Eugenio Merino, Stairway to Heaven at ADN Gallery. Via JoongangDaily.joins.com
ARCO Madrid 2011. Via daylife.com
Despite the economic climate in Europe, sales at this year’s fair exceeded expectations. “A large portion of collectors are from Spain, perhaps the biggest in the world,” said ARCO facilitator Lourdes Fernandez. This year’s ARCOmadrid featured many innovative changes aimed at connecting European, Russian, and Latin American contemporary art spheres. The Focus Russia program was a new feature in this year’s fair and hosts eight Russian galleries: XL; M & J. Guelman Gallery; Aidan; Anna Nova; Marina Gisich; GMG; Paperworks and Arka Solo Projects: Focus Latin America was also a new component at the 2011 edition of the fair, and featured Latin American artists, galleries, and collectors. 13 galleries were chosen by Luisa Duarte, a Brazilian freelance curator.
Alongside Focus Russia and Focus Latin America, Opening: Young European Galleries brought together a selection of 19 emerging galleries (less than eight years old) from across Europe, curated by gallerist Maribel López.
-V. Campbell
Related Links:
Info ARCO [IFEMA]
Madrid hosts 30th ARCO art fair [Press TV]
ARCOmadrid 2011: Newfound Optimism and Energy for the Contemporary Art Market [Art Daily]
Optimism returns to Madrid’s Arco [Art Newspaper]
Russian contemporary art market takes off [The Independent]
Madrid’s ARCO Art Fair Hits Its 30th Year [New York Times]
