ARCOmadrid_ 2010 will be opening its doors very soon. Many collectors, critics, curators and other agents will be arriving from all over the world for this must-visit event for the contemporary art, annually attended by tens of thousands of visitors. From February 17th through 21st, Madrid becomes the capital for happening art, with a programme covering the latest international tendencies with works from around three thousand artists brought by over 200 galleries.

With Los Angeles as this year’s special guest, Madrid will be showcasing a cross-section of art from one of the world’s foremost centres, a city setting the guidelines for contemporary art. With a selection of 17 major galleries, curated by Kris Kuramitsu and Christopher Miles, the art fair gives visitors a perfect chance to acquaint themselves with the art scene from one of the USA’s major centres for production.

Besides, the exhibiting galleries guarantee a complete spectrum of languages, supports and expressions. The fair’s General Programme, with its ARCO40 subsection, covers everything from the grand masters of the 20th century to the more recent art both from here in Spain and internationally. Rounding off this core programme are the curated sections Solo Projects, Expanded Box, CinemaLoop and Performing ARCO, demonstrating ARCOmadrid’s focus on more groundbreaking projects. Coming from around 30 countries worldwide, these projects reinforce the fair’s range and its reputation as a showcase for the most cutting-edge contemporary creation.

With L.A. as the fair’s guest city, ARCOmadrid_ 2010 is a good opportunity to discover this city’s leading galleries and to exchange impressions and opinions with collectors and directors of museums including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma) or the Hammer Museum, who are visiting the fair. February looks like being an exciting month with lots of artists in the city, including Raymond Pettibon who, courtesy of the Regen Projects gallery from L.A., has designed the t-shirt MANGO has produced for the costumes of the fair staff, and which will be on sale at the fair with profits going to the Menudos Corazones Foundation.

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