Issue date: 30 Jun, 2021
CONTEMPORARY ART. ARCO.
The first edition of ARCO was held from 10 to 17 February 1982 at the IFEMA Convention Centre which, at that time, was situated on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid.
Some 364 European and American artists took part in this important event, along with many of the most important art galleries of that time.
The Fair was a big success and served as the starting point for its ever greater projection in subsequent years.
ARCO has become one of the most important events on the international circuit for the promotion of art and artistic creation.
A curious fact about its origins, ARCO was created in Seville at the end of 1979 at the now legendary dinner in the renowned El Burladero restaurant. Sharing a table were the gallery owner Juana de Aizpuru, Adrián Piera and Francisco Sanuy–president and director of IFEMA–and Rosina Gómez-Baeza, director of fairs.
The birth of ARCO and its international projection marked a turning point in the perception of contemporary art and the way it was received.
There arose a special interest in this type of art, which came about at almost the same time as the recently acquired democratic freedoms really took hold in Spanish society.
Correos is dedicating a stamp to this, the 40th edition of ARCO, which is even more special given the events brought about by the global pandemic caused by Covid-19, which has resulted in the fair being postponed until July this year.
The stamp features an image of the logo of ARCO 2021, together with the number 40, which represents the four decades of art commemorated this year.
This year, the Contemporary Art fair faces the challenge of being the setting for reviving the art business and also for giving impetus to the art market, promoting new artists and fostering collecting.
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