At this 30th edition, Fundación ARCO presents the “A” Awards for Collecting

Fundación ARCO has, at this thirtieth edition, awarded these prizes in recognition of the artistic value of the collections by both private collectors and institutions, as well as their work in supporting the dissemination of contemporary art.

The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday 3 March at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. It will be followed by the traditional Fundación ARCO dinner, held in collaboration with Cartier, with the aim of raising funds to acquire works of art at ARCOmadrid 2026 for its collection, currently housed at the CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo Comunidad de Madrid.

LAURENT DUMAS | "A" INTERNATIONAL COLLECTING AWARD

The Laurent Dumas collection, built up over more than two decades, has established itself as an essential reference point for understanding the evolution of art in France from the 1960s to the present day. His holdings, characterised by a significant presence of monumental formats, chart a historical path that runs from the adaptation of art to the media-driven society of the 1960s, through the resurgence of painting and sculpture in the 1980s and 1990s, to the new practices that have shaped French art in the twenty-first century. They raise questions about humanity, the past, and memory. These themes, which run through the collection like a thread, reveal a true coherence despite the very different worlds of the artists involved.

Among the most notable works are pieces by Jean-Michel Alberola, Erik Dietman, Fabrice Hyber, Annette Messager and Jean-Pierre Pincemin, as well as key artists who have shaped the first decades of the new century in France, including Adel Abdessemed, Dove Allouche, Nina Childress, Hélène Delprat, Damien Deroubaix, Bruno Perramant, Georges Tony Stoll and Claire Tabouret. The collection also includes international artists based in France, such as Barthélémy Toguo, Ulla von Brandenburg and Thomas Hirschhorn.

Dumas has remained firmly committed to supporting young artists, acquiring significant works and strengthening this commitment since 2014 through the grant, Bourse Révélations Emerige. His involvement will now extend further with the forthcoming opening, in Fall 2026, of the Pointe des Arts contemporary art centre on Île Seguin, an ambitious project aimed at enhancing the visibility and dissemination of this French art scene in dialogue with international artists, built by Pritzker Prize RCR arquitectes and carried by his real estate group. 

JUAN ANTONIO PÉREZ SIMÓN | HELGA DE ALVEAR “A” AWARD.

The Pérez Simón Collection comprises more than 4,000 works of painting, sculpture and drawing as well as numerous pieces of decorative arts. Today, it is one of the most significant private collections in the world. It also houses a library containing more than 50,000 volumes, with a documentary collection that supports the Collection itself.

The collection is structured around the Old Masters, with works dating from the late Middle Ages and the beginning of the European Renaissance to the end of the 18th century. Italian painting is particularly prominent with artists such as Spinello Aretino, Benvenuto di Giovanni, Canaletto, Tiepolo, Bronzino and Veronese, together with an important 17th century Flemish and Dutch collection of works. It also brings together the great masters of New Spanish painting, such as Rodríguez Juárez, Miguel Cabrera, José de Páez, José de Alcíbar and Manuel de Arellano.

The collection is also notable for its extraordinary holdings of 19th century British art, considered the most important outside the United Kingdom, with works by Alma-Tadema, Leighton, Poynter, Long and key figures of the Pre-Raphaelite movement such as Waterhouse, Millais, Rossetti and Burne-Jones.

Within French painting, the academic tradition - Bouguereau, Gérôme, Cabanel - and Impressionist modernity coexist with pieces by Pissarro, Monet, Renoir, Degas and Sisley. The Spanish art section is also significant, bringing together works from the 16th to the 20th century, with major figures such as El Greco, Murillo, Ribera, Goya, Sorolla, Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Saura, Tàpies, Barceló and Genovés.

Historical avant-garde and contemporary art also take centre stage, from Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Chagall, Munch, Man Ray and Kandinsky to Rothko, Pollock, de Kooning, as well as Warhol, Lichtenstein, Calder, Kapoor and Gormley.

The collection pays particular attention to Latin American art - with Frida Kahlo, Izquierdo, Carrington, Varo, Lam, Matta, Botero and Soto - and has recently been enriched with the incorporation of Chinese artists such as Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Xiaogang, and Japanese artists such as Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara. 

GABRIEL CALPARSORO | NATIONAL PRIVATE COLLECTION “A” AWARD.

The Calparsoro Collection has developed over the last fifteen years as a considered process, guided by research, study and a deep emotional connection with contemporary artistic practices. Currently comprising around 170 works, it brings together photography, sculpture, painting and video-creation, and reflects an international approach marked by an interest in social and political discourses, as well as the collector’s life experience living abroad.

Photography holds a prominent place with works by Nan Goldin, Zoe Leonard, Wolfgang Tillmans, Peter Hujar, Ana Mendieta, Carrie Mae Weems and Arthur Jafa. The sculpture section includes works by Isa Genzken, Kara Walker, Cameron Rowland, Huma Bhabha, Mónica Mays, Lucía Bayón, Andra Ursuta, Carol Bove and Rachel Whiteread. In the pictorial field, it includes works by Adam Pendleton, Ellen Gallagher, Theaster Gates, Lorna Simpson, Glenn Ligon, Louis Fratino, Manuela Solano, or Portia Zvavahera, while video creation is growing steadily with contributions by Isaac Julien, Barbara Hammer, Tourmaline or P. Staff.

The Calparsoro Foundation has recently been set up with the aim of activating the collection through collaborations with public and private institutions and to promote philanthropic projects. The aim is to bring contemporary art to social groups that do not have access to it in everyday life and to spark conversations about vital issues through the works themselves.

Next March 2026, the Calparsoro Foundation will present, for the first time in Spain, Isaac Julien's installation Once Again (Statues Never Die), in the presence of the artist and with the collaboration of the Museo Lázaro Galdiano.

MACBA STUDIO : YOUNG COLLECTING “A” AWARD

MACBA Studio, launched by the Fundació MACBA in 2022, has established itself as a pioneering platform for young patrons committed to contemporary art and its transformative role. Aimed at people up to the age of 35, the project fosters emerging collecting and builds an active community that understands art as a tool capable of generating critical thinking, inspiring new perspectives and opening up other ways of understanding the present.

The group brings together young people just starting out in collecting and others with greater experience, all united by their commitment to the museum and to the local, national and international art ecosystem. Through an exclusive programme - private visits to artists’ studios, meetings with curators and creators, gallery tours, preferential access to fairs and cultural trips - MACBA Studio offers an experience that enables its members to engage with art from within and strengthens their active participation.

Thanks to their contributions, the members of the group contribute directly to the growth of the museum’s Collection and reinforce the Fundació MACBA’s mission to enrich the artistic heritage, support the network of galleries and promote education in contemporary art.

MACBA Studio has contributed to recent acquisitions of works by artists such as Teresa Solar, Thomias Radin, María Teresa Hincapié, Esther Ferrer, and Iñaki Bonillas. The works not only enrich the museum’s art collection, but also represent a model of engaged young patronage, connected to the city of Barcelona and the challenges of contemporary art. In addition to these, some members have made individual purchases at fairs such as ARCO, strengthening their personal commitment to responsible collecting.