Lisbon seems to be the European capital of the moment, a destination that is attracting increasing numbers of tourists, foreign property investors and trendy young expats. Its small but lively art scene, too, is slowly gaining international recognition.
The organisers of Arco Lisboa, the first outpost of the established Madrid fair outside Spain, believe that the city itself will draw foreign collectors. The fair is working closely with local galleries and institutions to create an integrated programme of exhibitions, talks and events, says Carlos Urroz, the director of Arco Madrid and Arco Lisboa.
Located in an 18th-century former factory, the Fábrica Nacional da Cordoaria, the inaugural edition will host 44 galleries—almost half from Portugal and just over a quarter from Spain. The fair’s small scale (more than 200 galleries participate at Arco Madrid), historical venue and emphasis on single-artist presentations will make it “more focused” for collectors than its Spanish sister, Urroz says. While Arco Madrid is one the world’s best-attended fairs, averaging 120,000 visitors a year, Urroz says that “10,000 would be wonderful” for Lisbon.
The outpost was launched in collaboration with a number of Portuguese galleries who, Urroz says, have been “very enthusiastic” about starting a local fair since he took the reins at Arco Madrid in 2010. Portugal’s only national art fair, Arte Lisboa, was cancelled in 2012, while Est Art Fair in nearby Estoril disappeared after its first edition in 2014, freeing up the market. As Portugal started recovering from the recession, the time finally seemed right.
Opening a fair in Lisbon “seems a very natural expansion strategy for Arco as it embraces the Iberian Peninsula as a whole”, says the dealer Vera Cortês. Since she opened her gallery in the city in 2003, the Lisbon art scene has changed markedly, Cortês says, with “private collectors opening public spaces” and young artists achieving international recognition very early in their careers. At Arco Lisboa, Cortês will be showing works by four Portuguese artists (and one German) that she says “represent” this generation.
Cristina Guerra, one of the five gallery directors on the fair’s organising committee, agrees that now is “the moment to bring a solid brand like Arco to Lisbon”. The city’s art world has become more international in the 15 years since she opened her gallery, she says. While the fair at large will focus on artists from Portugal, Spain and Latin America, she is presenting works by the US artist Lawrence Weiner at her booth.
“Portugal is in a good position to support a fair of this quality now,” says the Santa Monica-based dealer Christopher Grimes, who has shown for more than 20 years at Arco Madrid and is one of only two US exhibitors at Arco Lisboa. He points to Lisbon’s new Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT), which is due to open in October and is funded by Energias de Portugal Foundation, one of the fair’s sponsors.
Arco Lisboa has also enjoyed “amazing” public support, Urroz says. The fair is backed by the Portuguese ministry of culture, the Cámara Municipal de Lisboa and Turismo de Portugal. Firm in the belief that the event will make its mark on an “international calendar that is already full of appointments”, Urroz says that dates for 2017 “have already been reserved”.
• Arco Lisboa, Fábrica Nacional da Cordoaria, Rua Da Junqueira 342, Lisbon, 26-29 May