ARCOMadrid2016 | IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, pavilions 7 y 9 5th Partenón Avenue | 24-28.02.16
The 35-year history of ARCO summarized in 35 tweets. All the paragraphs have less than 140 characters. Take a glance at the curiosities of one of the most important contemporary art fairs of the current scene. Happy 35th Anniversary!
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| Felicitation for the 35th Anniversary © Marina Fertré |
1 ARCO is the International Contemporary Art Fair which takes place in Madrid. Commercially, it is also known as ARCOMadrid
2 The celebration takes place annually at IFEMA‘s facilities in the district of Barajas
3 ARCO is one of the most prestigious contemporary art fairs of the world and is one of the key events in the international circuit
4 The fair has a large repertoire of works that span the field of painting, sculpture, photography and other artistic creations
5 In its stands there are heterogeneous artistic offerings: historical vanguards, modern art, contemporary art and the very latest emerging art
6 The idea of ARCO is original of Juana de Aizpuru, who led the first edition of the fair in 1892 and chaired until 1986
7 Juana Aizpuru Gallery opened its doors for the very first time in Seville in 1970. The Andalusian space remained open until 2004
8 At the same time in 1983, Juana decides to open a gallery in Madrid. The local is since the beginning in the 44th Barquillo Street
9 ARCO has had three directors : Rosina Gómez- Baeza (1987-2006), Lourdes Fernandez (2006-2010) and Carlos Urroz, director since 2010
10 Carlos Urroz (Madrid, 1966), studied law and is highly appreciated in the international gallery sector as an independent cultural manager
11 The first edition of ARCO was held on February 10th, 1982 in the Exhibition Hall of Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid
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| ARCO in Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid (1983) |
12 And participated a selection of 90 galleries: 62 Spanish and 28 foreign. In total, the works of 364 artists were exhibited
13 Two years later, in 1984, ARCO moves to Pavilion Nº10 in Casa de Campo de Madrid, also known as the Glass Pavilion
14 In the 1985 edition, ARCO promotes photography as a vehicle of cultural diffusion way by the exhibition of a large sample
15 In 1987 were created the ARCO Foundation and ARCO News as the first periodical linked directly to the fair
16 1988 was the first year that the number of international stands lead the national galleries: 87 foreign from a total of 166
17 In 1992 Madrid was the European Capital of Culture and the fair was held for the first time in the open area of the Ferial Juan Carlos I
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| ARCO in IFEMA Facilities (1995) |
18 In 1998, galleries protested during the exhibition to demand the government more fiscal support. They managed to reduce VAT from 16% to 7%
19 Currently, a VAT of 10% is applied to artist’s sales, but if the artwork is owned by the galleries a 21 % VAT is applied
20 In 1999 takes place ARCOElectrónico: video art , sound art, Net.art , computer graphics and CD -Rooms were the focus
21 In the last edition , ARCOmadrid 2015 recorded an attendance of over 27,280 collectors and professionals from around the world
22 According to the organization, the number of visitors in 2015 exceeded 100,000, one of the best editions in recent years
23 ARCO has encouraged collecting in Spain, both private and institutional. It is also organized an Online Course of Collecting
24 Last year, the selection of a hosted buyer programme attracted more than 300 attendees as well as major museum directors
25 The participating galleries have as minimum requirements the following ones: 2 years of continuous opening and 4 annual exhibitions open to the public
26 The evaluation of the galleries is based on a total of 100 points. The programme and the presence of artists in institutions can get a total of 50 points
27 The fair has always focused its attention on the curatorial research. Throughout its 35 years more than 160 commissioners have worked
28 This 2016 the exhibition presents two curated programs: Solo Projects Focus Latin America and Opening, with young galleries projects
29 ARCO has been decisive in promoting the Spanish art and vital to strengthen the links between the European and Latin American art market
30 The Labyrinth of Passions wins Audemars Piguet Award 2016, designed by African artist Joël Andrianomearisoa (Sabrina Amrani Gallery)
31 Joël Andrianomearisoa becomes the first foreigner to receive this award 15,000 euros worth for the production of his work
32 His work will be exhibited in the project of IzaskunChinchilla, winner of the IV Competition for the design Vip2016 Room
33 The overall design of the fair, scheduled from February 24th to 28th 2016, returns to be made by Andrés Jaque Architects
34 This year is ARCOLisboa inauguration!!! Open to the public from May 26th to 29th. It takes place in Belém
35 It will attend a total of 40 international galleries selected by the Organizing Committee members, among which is Juana de Aizpuru
EXPOARTEMADRID 