ARTESANTANDER, the major art event of the Spanish summer, has concluded its most international edition in recent years with resounding success in terms of visitor numbers and sales. “ARTESANTANDER has once again become the summer epicenter of contemporary art, with artistic offerings of the highest quality and a very high level of international participation, both in the number of participating galleries and in the attendance of international collectors and the general public,” states Mónica Álvarez Careaga, curator and cultural producer who took over the direction of the fair in 2024.

With over 40 national and international galleries, the 33rd edition of ARTESANTANDER took place from July 11 to 15 in the Salón Bahía of the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos of Santander. Selected by the curatorial advisors Joaquín García and Jan-Philipp Fruehsorge, the galleries showcased more than 120 artists, 50 of whom were women artists, 44 from abroad, and 9 from Cantabria.

Of the galleries participating in this edition, 14 were doing so for the first time. “This was our first time at ARTESANTANDER, and it was truly an incredible success,” said Alba López, director of Néboa gallery (Lugo). “The proposal we brought was very risky, from our youngest artists, but it has been very well received, gaining recognitions such as the Celestino Cuevas Residency Award for Andrea Dávila Rubio or the Kells Arts Collection Acquisition Award for Andrés Rivas Rodís.”

ARTESANTANDER seeks to create an accessible space in which to appreciate contemporary artistic proposals, something that has been very positively received by gallery owners, who have noticed a more approachable public, breaking down the barrier between the general public and gallery owners that exists at other fairs. “This is a very elegant and high-quality fair, where people are interested in artworks and ask questions to learn more,” says Eloy Molanes of the VETA by Fer Francés gallery (Madrid). “We decided to bring the work of Edu Carrillo and Matías Sánchez, and both have been very well received.”

This has been the most international edition in recent times, with 10 galleries from Germany, Italy, Portugal, Mexico, and France. Some of them had participated in the fair previously but have returned for this new phase. “Returning to the fair after ten years has been a pleasure,” acknowledges Irene Finiguerra, head of the Italian gallery BI-BOX Art Space. “The renewal of recent years has generated great interest and that is why I have returned with the work of Matteo Beltrami and PAMCOC, from whom a piece was selected to be the image of the fair, something that has attracted many sales these days.”

A must-attend event for collectors

ARTESANTANDER is an essential event for the Cantabrian art and cultural sector. The Government of Cantabria and the Santander City Council have supported the fair since its inception and use this annual event to enrich their collections with new acquisitions. The Government of Cantabria has acquired works for the Colección Norte de Arte Contemporáneo by Juan López (Juan Silió), Manuel Oyonarte (Galería Espiral), Andrés Rivas Rodís (Néboa), Simon Quadrat (Rafael Pérez Hernando), Ana Teresa Barboza (La Gran), and Elisa Terroba (La Gran), for approximately €38,000.

The Ayuntamiento de Santander has supported the city’s art sector by making its acquisitions from local art galleries. Thus, the council will add to the collection of the Santander MAS Museum works by Marta Zelaia (Espacio Alexandra), Juan López (Juan Silió), Marta Valledor (Mecha) and Santiago Sagredo (Balta Gallery), valued at more than 27,000 euros in total.

In addition to the support of the Gobierno de Cantabria and the Ayuntamiento de Santander the fair has benefited from the collaboration of other leading institutions in the region, such as some of the prizes awarded to artists participating in ARTESANTANDER. Among these is the II Premio Exposición ARTESANTANDER / Museo Nacional de Altamira, which this year was awarded to German-born artist Daniel Schweitzer. His work was displayed at the Carrasco Gallery (Madrid-Lisbon) stand, and he will have the opportunity to hold an exhibition within the museum’s contemporary art program in 2026. Last year’s prize was awarded to Lin Calle, whose exhibition, “Altamira and the Grains of Pollen,” can be seen at the museum until September 28.

On the other hand, the Port Authority of Santander has awarded the II Premio Exposición Puerto de Santander to Paula Santomé, whose work is currently on display at the Espacio Derivado gallery in Seville. This prize will allow her to hold an exhibition in one of the Port of Santander’s heritage spaces that have been restored for public use: the Palacete del Embarcadero, the Nave Sotoliva, or the Cabo Mayor Art Center. The first edition of the prize was awarded to Usoa Fullaondo and Zuhar Iruretagoiena, whose exhibition, Alto ánimo, larga alegría (High Spirits, Long Joy), was on view until July 16 at the Palacete del Embarcadero.

This year, a new feature was the inaugural Premio de Residencia at the Centre d’Art Contemporani Piramidón in Barcelona, ​​which was awarded to the artist Sofía González, represented by Barrera Baldán Gallery in Seville. This award will allow the Sevillian artist a two-month stay at Piramidón, during which she will be able to develop her practice in this hybrid space between an art gallery and a creation factory that merges artistic production with its dissemination, exhibition and commercialization.

This award complements the second ARTESANTANDER Celestino Cuevas Artistic Residency Prize, awarded in collaboration with the Reinosa City Council to promote contemporary artistic creation. This year, it was awarded to Andrea Dávila Rubio, whose work was exhibited at the Néboa Gallery (Lugo) stand. The prize will allow Dávila to participate in the fifth Celestino Cuevas Artistic Residency Program, directed by José Ajá, as part of a program of excellence in promoting artistic creation in Reinosa.

As in the previous edition, and with the aim of continuing to promote private collecting, ARTESANTANDER has reached agreements with prominent private collections to award Acquisition Prizes during the fair. The Campocerrado Foundation Collection selected the work of Andrés Rivas Rodís at the Néboa Gallery in Lugo; the Mouro Producciones Collection chose Manuel Oyonarte at the Espiral Gallery (Noja, Cantabria); the Navacerrada Collection added the work of Marta Zelaia, exhibited at Espacio Alexandra (Santander); the Kells Arts Collection acquired a work by Andrés Rivas Rodís at Néboa (Lugo); the Rucandio Collection added the work of Edu Carrillo, exhibited at the VETA by Fer Francés stand (Madrid); and the El Cagigal Collection acquired a work by Carlos Greus at the Materna y Herencia stand (Madrid).

In addition, the Wadström Tönnheim Collection significantly expanded its holdings with the acquisition of works by Marta Valledor (Mecha), Elena Terroba (La Gran), Matteo Pacella (Espacio Derivado), Rachel Liebskind (Wildpalms, Düsseldorf), and Javier Sánchez Bellver (Lapislazuli.Gallery). Finally, Eurostar Hotel Company, joining this art patronage initiative for the first time, awarded its acquisition prize to the artist Mario Antón, represented by Lariot Collective (Madrid).

A meeting point for collectors, artists, and gallery owners

ARTESANTANDER, through its Social Program, has created a space where collectors, artists, and gallery owners could meet and explore each other’s work. This was all made possible by ARA Art Run Agency, which developed a comprehensive program of activities during the fair for more than 70 national and international guests (collectors, curators, and museum directors). In addition to the fair, these guests had the opportunity to discover the region’s rich cultural and artistic heritage through visits to three collections and nine contemporary art exhibitions at various institutions in Cantabria: Torre de Don Borja in Santillana del Mar; SOLO in Castanedo; Sala de Arte Robayera in Miengo; and the ES Collection, Centro Botín, Museo MAS, Nave Sotoliva, Palacete del Embarcadero, and Naves de Gamazo in Santander.

Collecting was also a key focus of the ARTESANTANDER Talks program of conversations and presentations, which allowed for an in-depth exploration of innovative initiatives and private collecting with professionals such as collectors Sara Navarro and Borja Fernández-Cobaleda (Campocerrado Foundation) in the round table “Collecting that inspires: private initiatives with vision,” as well as support for artistic creation, such as the presentation of the “X Confluences Program. 10 years: networks, creation and extension in the cultural system” which, led by designer and curator Carmen Quijano, featured the participation of independent curator Juan Francisco Rueda, Gilberto González, deputy artistic director of the CAAC of Seville and C3A of Cordoba, and Beatriz Herráez, director of Artium, Basque Museum-Center of Contemporary Art of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Alongside them, visitors could discover some of the artist books published in the last year by their artistic editors, such as curators Dalia de la Rosa and Omar Pascual Castillo, as well as others present in the ARTESANTANDER Editorial space, which brought together five art publishers in one of the areas of the fair.

For the second consecutive year, the Institut d’Estudis Baleàrics (IEB) participated in ARTESANTANDER with the exhibition Suspended Landscapes: Marine Still Lifes by Jorge Diezma (Madrid, 1973), a project curated by Cristina Anglada and selected through an open call. The project revisits and reinterprets a historical subgenre of the Baroque period: the marine still life, which originated in 17th-century Italy. Featuring fish and objects linked to the maritime environment, Diezma’s still lifes are not only a tribute to this tradition but also a critical reflection on the processes of transmission, popularization, and reappropriation of pictorial language throughout the centuries.

As in the previous edition, which clearly demonstrated the innovative vision of its current management, this edition of ARTESANTANDER has confirmed itself as a dynamic and diverse meeting platform for all people in the art ecosystem, attracting increasing interest each year in its varied gallery offerings and its intense parallel programming.