Carlos Urroz

Carlos Urroz was appointed new director of the International Contemporary Art Fair (ARCO). He is replacing Lourdes Fernández, who recently resigned from the post. Urroz was chosen by the Executive Board of the IFEMA, the Trade Fair Institution of Madrid. The Board took into consideration Urroz¿s ample experience in the field of contemporary art and his trajectory in the ARCO fair, as its deputy director from 1994 to 1998. According to gallery owner José Martínez, the new director at ARCO is a "competent and well prepared" professional who has the support of the collective. Urroz is capable of presiding over a "magnificent" fair because he "knows IFEMA and that gallery world well" and because he also has "enviable international contacts." According to Martínez, Urroz¿s challenge is "to reclaim the credibility ARCO once had" and that the president of IFEMA¿s Executive Board, Luis Eduardo Cortés "has removed as international art professionals look on." The departure of the previous ARCO director occurred amid a controversy surrounding the edition of the fair that took place this year, which was nearly cancelled due to marked disagreements between the gallery owners and the fair organizers. The art professionals opposed IFEMA¿s involvement in the selection of the galleries that would participate in the fair.