Madrid concentrates in the Paseo del Arte (that axis integrated by the Reina Sofía, the Prado and the Thyssen) some of the most relevant works of history, but it is in its art galleries where the present and the future of this manifestation is exhibited.
Most of these spaces are located in very specific zones of the city. Sometimes chosen for their location close to the major museums, for the purchasing power of their passers-by or for the spirit of the streets that attracted artists, as is the case of Chueca. Certain dates are also repeated, such as the early 1990s, the 2000s and again we see major openings from 2021 onwards, especially from names already established in other cities.
Art galleries in the Salamanca neighborhood
Opera Gallery
Ópera Gallery is a newcomer to the city. Its 1,000 m² of exhibition space opened in May 2023 with Loving Picasso, one of the exhibitions to mark the 50th anniversary of his death, with works by artists influenced by the painter from Malaga, such as Fernando Botero and Roy Lichtenstein.
It is a gallery with an international vocation: it opened for the first time in Paris and Singapore simultaneously, and has 6 locations, including the one in Madrid. Its new venue is a boost for Spanish art, as it starts with the international representation of the painter Juan Genovés.
Calle de Serrano, 56
Guillermo de Osma Gallery
The list of artists who have passed through the Guillermo de Osma Gallery could be that of a good book on contemporary art: Eduardo Chillida, Maruja Mayo, Sonia Delaunay, Dalí or Picasso, among other great references that have occupied its walls.
In addition to the exhibition of avant-garde works, with a special focus on Spain and Latin America, the research and recovery of artists such as José Alemany Bori or Francisco Sobrino is in the DNA of this gallery.
Calle de Claudio Coello, 4, 1 IZDA
Salesas, Chueca and Alonso Martinez art galleries
Marlborough Madrid
In the world of art galleries, one could say that the Marlborough is like an international celebrity. Founded by Frank Lloyd (not to be confused with the architect) and Harry Fisher in 1946 in London, in 1962 they expanded to New York and in 1992 the one in Madrid was inaugurated with an exhibition of the last ten years of Francis Bacon. It was the last exhibition organized during the lifetime of the artist, who died six months before the opening.
Orfila Street, 5
Casado Santapau
It is likely that when reading the captions of any decoration magazine you will find Casado Santapau mentioned on numerous occasions, because the paintings of this contemporary art gallery decorate many walls of the most luxurious houses in Madrid. This gallery, founded in 2007 by Damián Casado and Concha Santapau, is currently located in one of the streets with the highest concentration of art in Madrid.
Aldo Chaparro, David Renggli, Matthias Dornfeld or Diango Hernandez are some of the artists who have exhibited in his gallery.
Calle de Piamonte, 10
Elba Benitez Gallery
The Galería Elba Benítez seems like a secret gallery only for connoisseurs, because it is located in the courtyard of a Justice building, but the reality is that since 1990 contemporary art works in various media have been passing through its walls. One of the things that identifies this gallery is its efforts to broaden the spectrum of formats, which include video art, performance or sculpture (to name a few) as well as the interaction between different disciplines such as architecture or film.
San Lorenzo Street, 11 (patio)
Estampa Gallery
Estampa Gallery opened in 1978 by Manuel Cuevas and now his daughter Lucía Cuevas continues with the trade. Work that in this case involves more than being in charge of this exhibition space of Spanish contemporary art, here are also edited art books with manual printing. Worthy jewels to collect if you are interested in any of the artists they have released.
Calle de Justiniano, 6
Alzueta Gallery
Alzueta Gallery was one of those galleries that is always on the list of visits things to do in Barcelona but its new headquarters at Salesas saves the aesthetes an AVE.
Miquel Alzueta is often defined as an outsider who went from editing books to curating emerging artworks. Now, with the opening of Madrid and the intention to continue expanding, he is passing the baton to his daughter Júlia Alzueta.
Marqués de Monasterio Street, 1
Art galleries in the neighborhood of Las Letras
Helga de Alvear
The streets surrounding the Reina Sofia Museum galleries and art connoisseurs, especially Doctor Fourquet, where the collector Helga de Alvear set up her space in 1995. She was also the driving force behind the contemporary art museum that bears her name in Cuenca – another great venue for contemporary art at the national level.
12 Doctor Fourquet Street, 12
The Cause
La Causa Galería started its activity in Malasaña combining store and gallery with a focus on urban art, bringing fresh air to the artistic offer.
The good eye of Manuela Medina -art historian and cultural manager- and Pablo Méndez -architect- has allowed them to multiply the project by opening a space dedicated exclusively to the exhibition of young contemporary painting in Las Letras, while maintaining the original store.
6 San Pedro Street,
Minimum Space
The Espacio Mínimo Gallery is also part of the boom of contemporary art galleries that took place in the 90s in Spain, although its first opening was not in Madrid, but in Murcia. Already in the 2000s, they brought their vision of the latest international plastic proposals to the capital, and they chose this neighborhood with good reason.
17 Doctor Fourquet St., 17