Spanish Spree

MADRID—The contemporary-art fair ARCO returns to Madrid for its 27th edition, held February 13 to 18, but this year it has expanded into newly renovated sections of its longtime home, the Feria de Madrid, the city’s grand exhibition hall. Although increasingly international in scope, ARCO has done its best to retain a distinctly Spanish flavor, with 68 local dealers among the 234 participants. Madrid’s Pepe Cobo is bringing Mays petrolifera, a new iron sculpture by Seville-based artist Federico Guzmán, for €28,000 ($40,300), while Stockholm’s Andréhn-Schiptjenko comes with two new semiabstract sculptures of the human form by French artist Xavier Veilhan for around €45,000 ($64,700) apiece. As in years past, Germany is well represented at the fair, with Dusseldorf’s Sies + Hoke showing pieces by sculptor Florian Slotawa and photographer Uta Barth, among others, and Berlin’s Arndt & Partner offering a solo show of the political installation artist Thomas Hirschhorn. This year, however, ARCO has turned the spotlight on Brazil and invited 20 of the country’s top galleries, including Galeria Fortes Vilaca and Galeria A Gentil Carioca, to show their wares. And don’t miss “Performing ARCO,” a program of performance art featuring such Brazilian talents  as Marco Paulo Rolla and Cabelo, being held throughout the fair.

"Spanish Spree" originally appeared in the February 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's February 2008 Table of Contents.