Arteba exhibit aims to boost Argentina’s art market

More than 400 local artists will be showcased in Argentina’s biggest art fair Arteba, set to take place between August 30 and September 1 in Centro Costa Salguero, Buenos Aires City.

Spread across 65 stands of galleries coming from 16 different cities, the fair will showcase both classic and recent artists from all over the country. 

The Main Section category will host established and well-known galleries, while Utopia will be dedicated to more recent productions: galleries, artist-run spaces, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, and other experimental marketing platforms. 

This year, gallery and space selection was carried out by an independent committee formed by Mora Bacal, director of Ruth Benzacar Art Gallery; curators Carla Barbero and Florencia Malbrán; Amparo Díscoli, director of COSMOCOSA, and Ricardo Ocampo, director of W-Gallery.

Arteba will feature works by celebrated names like Antonio Berni, Jorge de la Vega, Luis Felipe Noé, Rogelio Polesello and Julio Le Parc, as well as young relevant artists such as Carla Grunauer, Mariana Tellería, or La Chola Poblete. 

Created in 1991, Arteba was the first major art fair in Latin America, and one of the few to focus on galleries. It is currently run by a non-profit organization, under main sponsor Santander Foundation. The 2024 fair is structured by three guiding points, according to Arteba Foundation director Lucrecia Palacios: give visibility to Argentine art and artists, develop and train local audiences, and boost the local art market.  

To that end, Arteba features several programs. There is the Museum Acquisitions program, where several local and international museums are invited to visit the fair and acquire works through a seed fund contributed by private patrons. The only requirement is that at least one of the acquired works must belong to an Argentine artist. Over the course of 15 years, more than 20 international museums have participated in the program, acquiring more than 120 art works.

“In difficult contexts, art works can be a safe haven, not only in terms of value but also of emotions,” Arteba director of institutional relations Maia Guemes told the Herald. She added that the fair is already generating interest and reservations from private collectors.

“The galleries have very good expectations for this year,” she added.