Reina Sofía Museum Acquires 17 Works from ARCOmadrid 2026 for €403,000

Madrid – The Museo Reina Sofía has announced its acquisitions from this year’s ARCOmadrid art fair, investing €403,000 in seventeen works by fourteen artists. The purchases, supported by the Spanish Ministry of Culture, notably include works by nine women artists, reflecting the museum’s stated commitment to increasing female representation in its collection. A significant portion of the acquisitions were made from Spanish galleries, according to a statement released this morning, March 6, 2026.

The museum’s strategy focused on acquiring pieces that address underrepresented themes or expand existing research areas within the Reina Sofía’s holdings. These include action art and performance, textile art, material-based conceptual art, and relational art. This deliberate approach signals a continued effort to diversify and deepen the museum’s contemporary art collection.

Expanding the Collection: New Voices and Familiar Faces

Among the new additions is French artist Annette Messager, whose retrospective was previously showcased at the Palacio de Velázquez in 1999. The Reina Sofía has acquired her perform, Voeux avec laine (Wishes with Wool), a series of photographs detailing the human form, originating from her ongoing Mes voeux project, which began in 1988. Messager’s work often explores themes of femininity, the body, and memory, and this acquisition strengthens the museum’s representation of feminist art practices. More information about Messager’s work can be found on her official website: https://www.annettemessager.fr/.

Also joining the museum’s collection is La Ribot, a Madrid-based choreographer, dancer, and artist. The Reina Sofía has purchased Nueve chichis y un flash (Nine Boobs and a Flash) from 2000, a set of nine framed Polaroid photographs acquired from the Max Estrella gallery. La Ribot is known for her provocative and experimental performances, often challenging conventional notions of femininity and the body. Her work frequently incorporates humor and a critical perspective on social norms.

Spotlight on Spanish Artists

The acquisitions also highlight significant Spanish artists. Pere Noguera is represented by three works from 1979: Sapates. Primera enfangada, Rellotge i penjador, and Televisió. Ángel Bados’s sculpture, Si el mar pudiera hacerse de jardines (If the Sea Could Develop into Gardens), created in 2024, continues the tradition of the New Basque Sculpture movement of the 1980s. This movement, characterized by its monumental scale and exploration of materiality, played a crucial role in the development of Spanish sculpture.

Oriol Vilanova, selected to represent Spain at this year’s Venice Biennale, will also be featured in the Reina Sofía’s collection with his large-format installation, Mudos (Silent). Composed of approximately two thousand postcards depicting monuments, the work examines the visual representation of power in public spaces. Vilanova’s inclusion underscores the museum’s commitment to supporting contemporary Spanish artists on the international stage. Details about the Venice Biennale can be found here: https://www.labiennale.org/en.

International Perspectives

The Reina Sofía’s acquisitions extend beyond Spanish borders, with six artists from outside Spain being added to the collection. Four of these artists are from Latin America, demonstrating a deliberate effort to broaden the museum’s global perspective. Claudia Andujar, a Swiss-born photographer residing in Berlin, is represented by A sônia (1971-2024), a video installation linked to feminist art practices of the 1960s. Andujar’s work often focuses on the Yanomami people of the Amazon rainforest, raising awareness about their culture and the threats they face.

Chilean artist Ester Chacón’s textile work, Mamita (1978), joins the collection, representing a current of political and cultural resistance within the Chilean feminist movement. From Lima, Peru, Venuca Evanán, a contemporary artist influenced by the artistic traditions of the Sarhua community, is represented by two pieces: Dúo de varas “llamaq y campona” and Llamaq y campona, both created in 2024. The Sarhua are known for their vibrant textile art, which often depicts scenes from daily life and Andean cosmology.

Expanding Artistic Boundaries

Rounding out the international acquisitions are works by Argentinian artist Roberto Jacoby, whose video Body Art: 15 segundos de fama en la discoteca Palladium (Body Art: 15 Seconds of Fame at the Palladium Disco) documents a participatory performance from 1988 in Buenos Aires, and Francocanadian artist Kapwani Kiwanga, whose work, Flowers for Africa (Guinée Bissau), explores power dynamics through the creation of floral arrangements representative of independence ceremonies in Guinea Bissau. Amparo de la Sota’s textile piece, Mapa VI, Aquí ahora (Map VI, Here and Now), created in 2021, and Joan Gelabert’s Tríptic de Barcelona (Barcelona Triptych) from 1988, linked to Barcelona’s countercultural movements, further enrich the museum’s textile holdings.

Finally, the Reina Sofía acquired Ana Laura Aláez’s Dance & Disco (2000-2019), a series of photographs and a video documenting an installation from 2000, considered a pioneering gesture in challenging traditional museum practices, and María Alcaide’s Capa pluvial o manto para caballo (Raincoat or Horse Cloak) from 2025, which offers a feminist and ecological reinterpretation of Andalusian identity. You can find more information about the Museo Reina Sofía and its collection at: https://www.museoreinasofia.es/.

Looking Ahead: Integrating New Works

The integration of these new works into the Reina Sofía’s collection will likely involve ongoing research and interpretation. The museum’s curatorial team will be tasked with contextualizing these pieces within the broader narrative of 20th and 21st-century art, and with developing exhibitions and programs that showcase their significance. The acquisitions demonstrate the Reina Sofía’s continued commitment to expanding its collection and engaging with contemporary artistic practices, both nationally and internationally. ARCOmadrid remains a vital platform for the museum to identify and acquire works that align with its curatorial vision.