Art Barcelona seeks to activate the art market with 'Barcelona 2015 Gallery Weekend'

The presence of international curators and collectors is the main goal, along with the local public, which will have the opportunity to see quality exhibits that encourage them to visit galleries, museums and centers.

Cities like New York, Berlin, Madrid, Valencia or Mexico City held such initiatives that have become a essential  event for art and international collectors.

The gallery owner Joan Anton Maragall, president of Art Barcelona, ??the Association of Contemporary Art Galleries of Barcelona (Abe), presented in a press conference, the general lines of Barcelona Gallery Weekend, a new project sponsored by the association, which has scheduled to be held in the first half of October 2015, with the participation of galleries and art centers in the city and wants to reach collectors, curators, local and international critics as the local public, "with the intention of activating market, enhance the prestige of the galleries and the use of museums network", said Maragall.

This new public-private action has the support of the City of Barcelona (ICUB), the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya (ICEC), and individualized contributions of  Art Barcelona, the participating galleries and private sponsorship who want join the project. "The total project cost is around 350,000 Euros to be devoted especially to program local and international dissemination and invitation to collectors and curators from outside Barcelona. The scheduled Public contribution shall be 40% and the private 60 % "as they have progressed from Art Barcelona.

Among the objectives to be pursued are: "revitalize the artistic and commercial scene of the city, improve the image of the gallery sector collectively, defining common objectives; bet on internationalization as the only way to get through the glass ceiling of a weak local market , convert the quote at the height of the arts calendar in Barcelona and that will be able to attract and seduce local and international collectors, or recover the citizen of Barcelona offering the opportunity to see a set of quality exhibits that encourage him to usually visit the galleries, centers and museums of the city".

For the first edition of any event, according to its organizers, "it is necessary the time to settle the intuitions so strategies can be articulated in a smooth and effective manner. Though spring may be an excellent time to schedule one Gallery Weekend, the season opener in September or October can be even better, because after the summer period the public becomes willing to return to the cultural life of the city".

To do this, Barcelona Gallery Weekend is conceived as an event of a long weekend that will include exhibitions and actions will be complemented by quality cultural initiatives. For galleries, underline from Art Barcelona, ??"the best option is to go for the most significant of its commercial line and prioritize individual exposures showing that there are artists with their own vision." Furthermore, the idea of ??presenting solo exhibitions in galleries has been added to the exhibition offer of the most relevant institutions of the city like the MACBA, MNAC, Picasso Museum, Fundacio Miro and Fundacio Tàpies, among others.

Finally, note that the board of Art Barcelona has appointed an executive committee consisting of four members of the association and the project manager and an advisory committee made up of different areas gallery owners and art centers, museums and foundations directors.

Among the executive committee members are: Joan Anton Maragall, director of  Trama Gallery and president of Art Barcelona; Ana Mas, co-director of the Gallery + R; Miguel Angel Sanchez, director of Gallery DNA; and Alex Nogueras, co-director of Gallery NoguerasBlanchard.

And in the advisory committee: Bartomeu Mari, director of the Macba; Laurence Rassel, director of the projects of the Foundation Antoni Tàpies; Nimfa Bisbe, director of the Contemporary Art Collection Foundation "la Caixa"; Marc Domènech, director of the Gallery Marc Domènech; Toni Estrany, co-director of Gallery Estrany Mota; or Ramon Sicart, director of the Gallery Sicart and vocal of the Guild Galleries, among others.

Source: Art informado