Tell us a little bit about the history of ARCO.

ARCOmadrid celebrates its 40th anniversary from July 7th to July 11th 2021, dates which have been altered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past four decades the Feria Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo has become one of the art market’s principal platforms, and an essential part of the international circuit promoting and spreading emerging art. ARCOmadrid, which each year opens the international art calendar, is one of the most important references for the artistic avant-garde for galleries, artists, collectors, critics, curators, custodians, museum directors and academics all over the world, and is an excellent forum for discovering new artists. This is confirmed by the numbers the Feria registers, with around 100.000 visitors each year; 3.000 accredited journalists and approximately 5.000 articles in the Spanish and the international media annually, making it one of the fairs with greatest impact.

It has reached this position after a successful journey over forty years. ARCOmadrid was started in 1982, the initiative of IFEMA, Institución Ferial de Madrid, promoted by a sector – at that time very small – of Spanish galleries specialising in contemporary art. Since that first event, which brought together 90 galleries from 16 countries, it has evolved greatly until in 2020 it included 209 galleries from 30 countries. 25.000 people visited ARCO’82, increasing to nearly 100.000 attending ARCOmadrid 2020, and from the 182 accredited journalists at the first fair, there are now over 2.800.

How do you, as fair director, ensure that the event stays contemporary and current in the fast-paced world that is the art market, now with our substantial pandemic context?

ARCO is a fair comprising galleries which are selected by the Comité Organizador through analysis of their proposals, trajectory and exhibitions. This encourages and ensures the Quality of the artistic proposals presented at each fair. Accordingly, the 105 galleries chosen by the Comité for the General Program in 2021 will maintain the Quality the fair has offered for decades.

Is there something in this year’s ARCOmadrid program that you are particularly looking forward to?

The most important thing for me, this year and every year is being able to offer the possibility of putting together artworks and art lovers. That experience that always is so relevant this year is massively exceptional!

What advice do you have for the collectors that will be attending the fair this year? What are you expecting in terms of an international attendance?

My advice to collectors is to be free and ask for any piece that capture their eye. Also talk to as many people as they can, in the conversation and the exchange there is a lot of learning.

The response from the international audience has been really positive. More than 250 international collectors confirmed and the local collectors are also very excited to meet again at aRCO!

What is your biggest hope for a post-pandemic Art World?

That art takes the place as the key cultural agent it is. That the interest in what art has to express grows helping us being better citizens.

In addition to ARCOmadrid, what exhibition or event is on your “must-see” list?

This week I’m focusing on ARCO and on all the proposals presented by the galleries, in the General Program as well as in Opening, with its young galleries, and the new Remitente. Latin American Art, with an important presence of galleries from that continent.

For those visiting us we offer an extensive program of activities and exhibitions in Madrid which are really worth seeing. From the Prelibros exhibition, in Casa de América, to the displays in the Museo Reina Sofía and the Museo Thyssen, which, exceptionally, will open in the evenings during the fair.