Notes related to Fairs

ARCOmadrid 2026 appears to reinforce its position in the global art market by consolidating a distinctive identity in contrast to the major internationalized art fairs, with Latin America as its anchor. Its capacity to generate cultural and market narratives from this positioning has been key to understanding its current role and evaluating the potential risks of its model.

Contemporary Art Now in Madrid focuses on contemporary painting and highlights the value of Latin American art through the FOCO LATAM program. The proposals by regional artists presented at the fair reveal a diverse panorama, featuring material explorations, cultural memory, and contemporary imaginaries.

Spain applies a 21% VAT to gallery sales of artworks, a rate in place since 2012. In contrast, other cultural sectors benefit from reduced rates: cinema, theatre and concerts are taxed at 10%, and books at 4%. Contemporary art galleries, however, remain subject to the general rate.

From the curatorship of the Foco LATAM program at CAN Art Fair Madrid, Christian Viveros-Fauné approaches surrealism as a tool for reading global uncertainty, while advocating for painting and Latin American artistic practices as spaces of resistance and the creation of new imaginaries.

A leading platform for Ibero and Latin American art, the fair brings together galleries, curators, and emerging talents for a dynamic edition shaped by new voices and cross-regional perspectives.

By Candelaria Penido

ARTBO, Bogotá’s international art fair held from September 25 to 28, once again reaffirmed its position as one of Latin America’s most relevant platforms. It brought together 46 galleries and more than 180 artists across the five floors of Ágora Convention Center. With a program intertwining market and thought, this year’s edition emphasized diversity in formats, trajectories, and geographies, offering a multifaceted map of contemporary regional production.

The cultural event celebrates its 21st anniversary with 46 international galleries, four curatorial sections, and a program that reaffirms its role as a key platform for contemporary art in Latin America.

Youth, performance, and permanence: Argentina’s most important art fair has opened at Centro Costa Salguero and will run until August 31.

The contemporary art fair organized by gallerists opens to the public in Buenos Aires’ renovated downtown featuring “resident” and “guest” galleries as well as international participants.

The fair brings together galleries from 12 Brazilian states and expands its reach to include exhibitors from Argentina and the Peruvian Amazon.

Bogotá’s art scene was reinvigorated this past weekend with a new edition of ARTBO | Fin de Semana, held from Friday, April 25 to Sunday, April 27. Unlike the main fair taking place in late September, this format invites visitors to explore the city’s key contemporary art circuits, with gallery openings, guided tours, talks, and performances across various cultural venues.

The art fair invites galleries to submit their proposals for its new edition, taking place from December 4 to 7 at The Hangar, Coconut Grove. The application deadline is July 30.

The end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 were marked by palpable euphoria in the art market, particularly in Miami during December’s fair week. The recent outcome of the U.S. elections and the return of Donald Trump to the presidency initially generated optimism among collectors and art professionals. It was expected that the new administration would boost liquidity in the U.S. market, with positive effects on the global art market.

The event will bring together, for the first time, 24 art galleries and projects from different cities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico; it will take place on April 3, 4, 5, and 6 at Distrito Capitalinas, in the city of Córdoba, Argentina.

Pinta Lima is the most important contemporary art fair in Peru, presenting in its 12th edition a solid program that celebrates the diversity of the Latin American artistic and cultural scene. Located at Casa Prado in Miraflores, Lima, the fair is an essential event where a network of artists, galleries, curators, and collectors from the region connect with the international scene.

Panama is preparing to become the epicenter of regional art with the first edition of Pinta Panama, May 21-25, 2025. At an effervescence moment for the local artistic ecosystem, the fair seeks to consolidate the Panamanian scene, promote the circulation of artists and create a meeting space for the artistic currents of Central and South America. Emiliano Valdes, general curator of the project, shares his vision of Panama's potential as a cultural connection point.

ARCOmadrid 2025 comes to an end with almost as many answers as questions. On the one hand, the concept of the fair—its commercial dimension—is now firmly established, marking a shift from the situation of a few years ago, when ARCO’s role as a meeting point for the general public seemed essential. This does not mean that attracting an audience with access to contemporary art is no longer part of its strategy, but rather that the fair now operates with a dual focus on two clearly defined lines of work: what and how. This shift consolidates the growing emphasis on collectors and institutions.

With strong gallery participation, ARCO is an interesting point to measure how the proposals reach the visitor and the collector. The choices based on aesthetic or commercial criteria create synergies that shape a fluid and sometimes circumstantial representation of each catalog. From Arte al Día, we delve into ten of those catalogs, expanded to variegated universes, monographs and dialogues that show a sample of the approach of Latin American galleries in their presence at the Madrid fair.

The Mexican art scene is going through an exceptional moment. There is a palpable energy, with new galleries opening, others already consolidated in the process of expansion and Mexican artists and curators gaining more and more international visibility. Their presence in museums, biennials and global fairs continues to grow, consolidating Mexico as a key player in the contemporary art scene.

In its 14th anniversary, Leila Tschopp is the winning artist of the 2024 EFG Latin America Art Award in partnership with ArtNexus. The announcement was made at Pinta Miami.

Pinta Miami celebrated its 2024 edition from December 5th to 8th, 2024 with more than 16,500 visitors, 45 galleries and 14 countries present. The fair at The Hangar, Coconut Grove led to good sales –where over 90% of the galleries reported sales– and enthusiastic overall attendance providing a true exchange between private, public spheres and opportunities for artists and galleries.

In its third consecutive edition at The Hangar, in Coconut Grove, the Pinta Miami 2024 fair celebrates its eighteenth edition from December 5 to 8 with proposals that make visible the diverse artistic narratives of Latin America. An opportunity for gallerists, artists, curators, collectors and art lovers that seek to explore the region's contemporary discourses.

Since its foundation in 2007 in New York, Pinta has established itself as a key event in promoting Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese art. What began as a boutique fair in the Big Apple has evolved into a global concept connecting artists, galleries, and collectors worldwide.

Pinta Miami –the international art fair focused on modern and contemporary Iberian and Latin American art– celebrates its eighteenth edition from December 5-8, 2024. Through curated sections and a dynamic and contemporary interdisciplinary program, the fair reinforces its commitment to showcasing a plurality of art.

Pinta BAphoto closed its 20th anniversary at La Rural, Buenos Aires, Argentina, after a weekend that brought together the best of photography in the region and was a meeting point for gallery owners, artists, curators, collectors and photography lovers. The fair attracted more than 14,000 visitors during its three days open to the public.

Mid-October marks a pivotal moment in the art world, as the spotlight shifts between London and Paris. First up is London, with Frieze opening on October 9^th accompanied by a flurry of gallery openings and art events across the city. This season also sees important auctions, with leading houses hosting sales of Modern and Contemporary art.

Antonio Pichillá Quiacaín was announced as ArtBo's nominated artist for the EFG Latin America Art Award, the company's annual acquisition award. The winning artist will be featured at Pinta Miami 2024.

As part of the 20th anniversary of BAphoto, the art fair dedicated exclusively to photography in Buenos Aires, the NEXT | Out of Focus section celebrates its tenth edition in 2024. Since its creation, this section has been a key space to promote the visibility of emerging galleries and artists, functioning as a platform that connects Argentine photography with the international scene. Throughout these ten years, NEXT | Out of Focus has played a fundamental role in positioning emerging galleries and generating links with larger art circuits, contributing to BAphoto and Pinta's goal of promoting Latin American art in the world.

The first half of the year concluded on a low note, and as the art market gets ready to gear up for the last semester, a clearer picture of the challenges faced is emerging.

The Armory Show is taking place from September 6^th to 8^th. The fair’s 30^th edition features over 235 galleries from 35 countries, showcasing artist projects in the Platform section, as well as highlights from sections Galleries, Focus, Solo and Presents, alongside presentation details for the Gramercy International Prize. Now part of the Frieze network, the Armory Show presents a revitalized program that offers a comprehensive view of the contemporary art world.