ARCOlisboa 2026 closes on a positive note and strengthens its ties with the Portuguese art scene
ARCOlisboa’s ninth edition closes today on a positive note, marked by strong sales activity and the enthusiastic reception of the artistic content presented across all sections of the fair
IMAGES OF ARCOlisboa: here
Co-organised by IFEMA MADRID and the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, the fair once again confirms the commitment of Portuguese and international collectors to contemporary art.
ARCOlisboa, which has once again benefited from the support of the Portuguese Government, held its official opening in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, and the President of Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, Carlos Moedas. The fair is estimated to have welcomed more than 15,000 visitors, including a significant number of young people. Attendance was boosted by the support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, which provided free admission for visitors under the age of 25 on Friday and Saturday. This initiative has helped bring contemporary art closer to younger generations and reinforced ARCOlisboa’s commitment to developing new cultural audiences.
The International Contemporary Art Fair brought together 83 galleries from 17 countries, once again turning the Portuguese capital into one of Europe’s most attractive and dynamic artistic and cultural hubs, as well as a meeting point for collectors, gallerists, artists and art professionals from around the world. According to Maribel López, Director of ARCOlisboa, “the quality and diversity of the galleries’ proposals, together with the commitment of the city’s institutions, have helped create an especially favourable environment for collecting, strengthening the confidence of international professionals and collectors.”
Held in the iconic Cordoaria Nacional, ARCOlisboa has established itself as Portugal’s leading international contemporary art fair, playing a key role in promoting Portuguese artists internationally before institutions and more than 150 invited guests, including collectors, museum directors, curators and other international art professionals.
ARCOlisboa therefore closes this edition with a positive overall balance. From the opening day, acquisitions were confirmed, including those made by Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, which purchased a total of 25 works by 17 artists.
These acquisitions were joined by those of the Fundación ARCO which, with the advice of Tania Pardo, Director of the Museo Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, and Sandra Guimarães, Director of the Museo Helga de Alvear, acquired works by artists Susana Rocha from Galería ATM (Gijón) and Diogo Nogueira from Galeria Presença (Porto).
Awards at ARCOlisboa
The number of awards presented at ARCOlisboa continues to grow, reflecting the increasing commitment of national and international companies and institutions to contemporary art and to the fair as a platform for supporting artistic creation. Through the sponsorship of these awards, the work of participating galleries, artists and curators is recognised.
The Portuguese gallery Lehmann was awarded the 4th Fundação Millennium bcp Award for Best Stand at ARCOlisboa, following the decision of the jury composed of Defne Ayas, Director of the Van Abbemuseum, and curator Francisca Gigante.
In addition, for the seventh consecutive year, ARCOlisboa presented the Opening Lisboa Award. The jury, composed of independent curator Övül Durmuşoğlu, Ines Goldbach, Director of Kunsthaus Baselland, Ana Laguna, curator at Kunsthalle Lissabon, Catalina Lozano, chief curator at Artium Museoa, and Agustina Strüngmann, Director of Salta Art Foundation, selected the Chilean gallery Espacio218, represented by the artists Javiera Gómez and Noël Saavedra. The galleries Remota (Argentina) and Plato (Portugal) also received special mentions for the quality of their presentations.
The Colección Studiolo – Candela A. Soldevilla awarded its 2nd Acquisition Award to a work by artist Paloma de la Cruz from T20 gallery.
MACAM – Museu de Arte Contemporânea Armando Martins also presented, for the second time, the MACAM Acquisition Award, selecting a work by Ângela Ferreira, represented by Arte de Gema gallery, for inclusion in the museum’s permanent collection.
The 1st FLAD Acquisition Award at ARCOlisboa 2026 was awarded to artist Catarina Dias, represented by Jahn und Jahn gallery, and the artist Pedro Vaz, of Kubikgallery, reaffirming FLAD’s commitment to actively supporting the development of Portugal’s artistic ecosystem.
The 1st Kells Collection Acquisition Award was granted to artist Elena Núñez Mallén of Galería Vangar, in the Opening section.
Fundação Vasco Vieira de Almeida expanded its collection with the purchase of a work by artist Vasco Araújo, from Francisco Fino Gallery.
ARCOlisboa is jointly organised by IFEMA MADRID and the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, with the local coordination of the production company Café Pessoa – Cultural Strategies, and is supported by the Ministério da Cultura, DGARTES, Turismo de Portugal I.P; Turismo de Lisboa e Direcção Geral da Marinha, the patronage of Fundação EDP and the sponsorship of Fundação Millennium BCP, Fundação Vasco Vieira de Almeida, MEXTO Property Investment, WAAU (World African Artists United), MAC/CCB Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Centro Cultural de Belém, Bellissimo Cafés / Marca Grupo Nabeiro, Artworks, Ruinart, Valor Pneu, Herdade Aldeia de Cima, Quinta Nova, Taboadella, Dazzle, Me Lisbon by Meliã, El Corte Inglés and Viúva Lamego.
The 10th edition of ARCOlisboa will be held from 27 to 30 May 2027 at the Cordoaria Nacional.