Moreover, the contemporary art fairs are getting more numerous and diverse, although there are some that obtain greater recognition. Most of them are places of sale, even fixing the market price, besides being a trend thermometer. If you want to know more about some art fairs or you do not know which could interest you more, we will help you to find it out

ARCO

In the social context of the ‘movida madrileña’, the gallerist Juana de Aizpuru organized the first edition of the fair in 1982 as an showcase for galleries, bringing together both, the historical avant-garde and the emerging art. It is held annually at the end of February and, given its sales character, it examines the state of the art market in Spain. Since 2016, ARCOmadrid is joined by ARCOlisboa, held in May. It became a branch to enhance the international dimension of the ARCO fair.

Art Basel

Founded in 1970 in Basel, it registered 16,000 visitors in its first year, attracting 90 galleries from ten different countries. This private and commercial fair takes place annually in Basel (Switzerland), Miami Beach and Florida (USA). Since 2013, a fourth headquarter joined from Hong Kong (China). The activity of the most international art fair is complemented by other proposals such as ‘Art Basel Cities’ or a crowdfunding initiative that supports projects of non-profit organizations, including artistic residencies or educational programs.

Venice Biennale

The Venice Biennale is a non-profit cultural institution subsidized by the Italian State. It is held, generally, every two years since 1895, but not always. For instance, it stopped for six years during the Second World War. Like the Venice International Film Festival, it is one of the most historic events of its kind. It is organized around a park that hosts 30 national pavilions. Those that do not have a pavilion, exhibit in other venues in the city.

Documenta

The documenta is celebrated in Kassel (Germany) every five years since 1955 and lasts one hundred days. It was founded by the artist Arnold Bode, with the aim to offer Art to the working class. In its first edition it included the main movements of the 20th century, such as Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism or Futurism, establishing a retrospective of what Nazism had considered "degenerate art". In 2017, during its fourteenth edition, the documenta had for the first time two headquarters, in Kassel and Athens.