Madrid,
Contemporary art galleries throughout Spain will close their doors during the week of February 3 to 7 as a measure of protest against the lack of response from the Government to their main demand: the application of a reduced cultural VAT for the art sector, in line with what is already happening in most European countries.
The call, promoted by the Consortium of Contemporary Art Galleries, represents the temporary cessation of an activity that the galleries defend as essential for society. According to the group, during those days “the largest museum in Spain will be closed”, in reference to the set of private exhibition spaces that offer free and continuous access to contemporary artistic creation.
In addition to the closure, the galleries have announced the cessation of all free collaboration with public and private institutions for a period of three months. This includes tasks that are usually carried out without financial compensation, such as locating works and collectors for loans, transferring graphic and documentary material, curatorial advice or coordinating transport and assembly.
The sector denounces that the current taxation of art in Spain places artists and galleries at a clear disadvantage compared to other countries in its European environment, where art has reduced VAT rates. This tax difference, they point out, seriously harms the international competitiveness of Spanish galleries and makes their work to support, promote and internationalize artists difficult.
The Consortium also highlights the comparative disadvantage with other cultural sectors such as cinema, music or the performing arts, which do enjoy a reduced VAT on the marketing of their works. For this reason, they demand for artists and gallery owners the transposition of Directive (EU) 2022/542, which allows a reduced cultural VAT to be applied to art, because they warn that the current situation is “unfair and unsustainable” for the Spanish artistic ecosystem.
You can read here the statement issued by the Board of Directors of the Consortium of Contemporary Art Galleries.
