For three days, Apertura Madrid Gallery Weekend 2017 holds its eighth edition, reaffirming itself as the great event in the art world after the summer. Its main objective is to bring the general public closer to contemporary creation and spread Madrid’s art scene internationally.
Apertura is organised by the 46 galleries which make up the gallery association Arte_Madrid and which regularly take part in the most prestigious international fairs such as Art Basel, Frieze, The Armory Show, FIAC, Artissima, Art Basel Miami. The event attracts collectors, experts and curators from all over the world who find a high-quality selection of works by Spanish and international artists spanning disciplines such as painting, sculpture and photography.
With over 35,000 visitors to the last edition, Apertura Madrid has become consolidated as one of the most important Gallery Weekends in the world, only behind Berlin in number of visitors.
Major cultural institutions (Reina Sofia Museum, Thyssen Museum, and Dos de Mayo Centre), together with ARCOMadrid, are programming parallel activities such as guided tours and brunches to bring modern art to the people. These activities include the ARCO Gallerywalk, offering guided tours of galleries led by experts.
This year sees the participation of important galleries and artists, such as Alegría (Neil Rumming), Álvaro Alcázar, Bacelos (Massimo Bartolini), Benveniste Contemporary (Julião Sarmiento), Blanca Berlín (Luis González Palma), Blanca Soto Arte (Óscar Seco), Casado Santapau (Lothar Hempel), Cayón (Pablo Palazuelo), Elba Benítez, Elvira González (Juan Asensio), Espacio Valverde, Fernández-Braso (Luís Coquenão), Fernando Pradilla (Rodríguez Silva), Formatocomodo (Christian García Bello), Frei Jo Gallery (Los Torreznos), Heinrich Ehrhardt (Emanuel Seitz), Helga de Alvear (Ana Prada), Juana de Aizpuru (Pierre Gonnord), Marlborough (Alfonso Albacete) and Utopia Parkway (Emilio González Sainz), among many others.
Apertura is supported by Mahou San Miguel (with its Mahou, Alhambra and Solán de Cabras brands), which is repeating as a sponsor, as well as the fashion and Spanish industry leader, Uterqüe, which is also participating again, emphasising the influence which exists between both worlds.
