One of the most important voices of gallery art and national contemporary art retire. With a career spanning more than 50 years, the creator of the International Contemporary Art Fair (ARCO), Juana of Aizpuru, closes his gallery in Madrid for health reasons. This space on Barquillo Street opened its doors in 1984 and has become one of the temples for the promotion of avant-garde artists and for the promotion of new talents.
The one in Madrid is not the only gallery that Juana de Aizpuru has directed. The gallerist from Valladolid founded her first headquarters in Seville in 1970, specifically at number 10 Canalejas Street. Later, in 1986, she moved to 26 Zaragoza Street. This space closed its doors in 2004. During the time she was in Seville, Juana de Aizpuru was a patron of different Andalusian artists and created the Juana de Aizpuru Scholarshipwhich consisted of a stay at the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid for a year.
One of its great milestones was the launch of ARCO in 1982. A total of 264 artists from 14 countries met in Madrid called by the professional, who directed the contest during its first four editions until it became one of the epicenters of European and Latin American art.
Although he has always shown his clear refusal to donate, The gallerist made an exception with the Andalusian Center for Contemporary Art (CAAC), an institution to which he granted 26 works. Precisely in this enclave, in 2004, he carried out the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville (BIACS) with the aim of giving a strong boost to the city in terms of cultural spirit, since this seemed to be somewhat diminished after the resounding success of the 1992 Expo. Its last edition – the third – took place in 2008.
Her legacy shows that she has been a pioneering and avant-garde professional. The multiple recognitions that she has received throughout her career attest to this. In 1997 she was awarded the Gold Medal for merit in Fine Artsin 2008 she was named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters and in 2011 it was declared Favorite daughter of Andalusia.
