MADRID.- Entering its fourth year, Art Madrid will play host to 74 Spanish and international galleries, consolidating its position as the second largest contemporary art fair in Spain in terms of number of galleries.

The fair continues to focus on Spanish contemporary art, with 61 Spanish galleries attending, without forgetting the international scene, with 13 galleries (7 European and 6 Latin American) from 7 countries: Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Holland and Portugal. Of the European representation, five are major Portuguese galleries.

The fair's Selection Committee has made it a priority to ensure a high level of quality, rigorously vetting the over 180 galleries that have applied to take part. For example, the number of galleries with works from the historical avant-garde has been cut from 20 to 13.

Focus on new trends
Additionally, Art Madrid has made a firm commitment to the youngest emerging artists, which has manifested itself in the shape of two new sections, Young Art and Art Show, featuring 16 galleries that will enjoy a separate area of the fair. Art Madrid is hosting 30 new galleries attending the Madrid event for the first time.

The space contains galleries less than five years old, which will show works from young artists created in the last two years, and galleries over five years old, which will present the work of a single artist under 40 years of age.

The most emerging contemporary art will be displayed in Art Show, a space where the galleries will present several installations.

An exhibition with Latin-American artists
" Comeback. Latin-American art and memory ", coproduced by Casa de América and Art Madrid, shows the work of fourteen Latin-American artists, who have met to interpret the topics more appellants in the Latin culture.

Curated by Paloma Martín Llopis, the exhibition has been organized with remnants of the past, but contextualized from the present time. "Comeback" tries to assemble a cultural response to the present globalization. Among the fourteen artists shown in "Return", stand out the likes of Vik Muniz, Alfredo Castañeda, Dulce Pinzón or Adriana Varejao, that present a quite interesting display of plastic ideas and different approaches to the idea or remembering.

Art Madrid 09 will take place on 12-16 February 2009 at the Pabellón de Cristal of the Casa de Campo park in Madrid