In Catalonia, 70% of Fine Arts students are women. In contrast, only 35% of exhibitions are occupied by female artists. A gender gap that, however, is not exclusive to Barcelona or Catalonia. And which, in fact, is the legacy of a historical trend that has relegated women in the art world to their role as muses and inspiration for artists, but which, on the other hand, has not promoted or given space to their role as creators. Thus, few female artists have gone down in history and managed to earn a place on the walls of museums and art galleries around the world.
To combat and reverse this trend, Fundació Úniques was born in 2024 in the heart of Barcelona. The initiative arose from the hand of Manel Vallet —CEO and president of Catalonia Hoteles & Resorts— and the artist and graphic designer Adela Beltran. A marriage that, through Beltran's experience in the world of design and art, decided to take a step forward to put an end to the residual presence of women artists in the Catalan market. Thus, they constituted this private entity whose objective is the promotion of art created by women who live and work in Catalonia, Valencia or the Balearic Islands, especially in painting or sculpture.
The foundation wants to combat a form of collecting and promotion of art that they lament is not equitable, since contemporary art galleries mainly exhibit, work with and represent male creators. With this purpose, in addition to organizing exhibitions and public events, the entity also works to gather a broad and varied collection of pieces by contemporary Catalan artists, with the aim of promoting and helping to financially sustain the professional careers of these creators. A philosophy that, until now, no other institution or foundation in the country championed, and which, in fact, does not have many references in Europe or the world either.
"Creating a collection with works by contemporary artists is a way, on the one hand, to preserve and patrimonialize this type of art to combat the fact that only male artists go down in history; and, on the other hand, to be able to economically incentivize the professional careers of female artists," claims Paula Carrera, assistant director and curator at Fundació Úniques. A collection formed by works from exhibitions that have passed through this space, as well as pieces acquired within the framework of international festivals and fairs. Artists such as Laura Zucarro or Lara Fluxà are already part of this collection that they wish to be able to exhibit publicly in the future.
By investing in and collecting pieces created by female artists, the entity also wants to combat a glass ceiling that, they lament, also exists in the artistic profession, which is already usually linked to precariousness. "One of the main barriers for women artists is the professionalization and consolidation of their careers, since female artists face more difficulties in economically sustaining their trajectory, due to lack of economic support and promotion, and they also tend to add family or domestic burdens to their career," laments Natàlia Foguet, who has directed the foundation since May.
Foguet recalls that 29% of works created by men are sold for more than 1,000 euros, compared to 13% of those conceived by women. This figure is a consequence "of a system that legitimizes and promotes male artists," in the words of the director of the Foundation, since most galleries in the Catalan capital represent and work mainly with male artists, and also do not have a clear commitment to parity within their collections.
A fact that causes a large number of female artists to abandon their artistic careers in the long term, opting for other options to support themselves. Thus, despite the fact that women are the majority in the training stages and the first years, few of them manage to consolidate themselves. For example, in the ArtNou program, the emerging art festival for creators up to 35 years old, women represent more than 50% of the exhibitions, while these figures are exponentially reversed during the Barcelona Gallery Weekend shows, a festival with a program that includes more established artists, and in which, therefore, there is less female representation.
During the gallery weekend, which will be held in 24 spaces in Barcelona and l'Hospitalet de Llobregat from September 18 to 21, the Foundation also participates as part of the acquisition program, with the commitment to incorporate works worth 3,000 euros. Likewise, they also acquire pieces from the exhibitions of the independent art fair SWAB Barcelona, or from the ArtNou program, a festival within the framework of which they have incorporated into their collection this year the pieces Harpía by Blanca Gracia, Womb by Anna Ill and Overall 25 by Mariona Berenguer.
The difficulty for female creators to sustain artistic practice is also exemplified by the figures from the contemporary art fair held in Madrid ARCO, where only 30% of the exhibited pieces were created by women, and of these only 5% by artists who live or work in Spain. "Our will is, from the heart of Barcelona, to be able to lead a real change in collecting and reverse this trend that prioritizes and supports male artists," defends Foguet.
A change they also want to lead from the center of Barcelona, in the heart of Ciutat Vella, to prevent artists from having to resort to moving to other European countries to continue their careers. This is the case of artists Anna Ill, Julia Aurora Guzmán, and Mariona Berenguer, the three artists featured in the Foundation's current exhibition, titled Una trama y otras estructuras and part of the ArtNou program. Artists who, beyond textile work as a common thread to explore themes such as identity or manual labor, also share the fact of working in various cities—from London to Berlin—despite being born in Barcelona.
This exhibition, which can be visited until October 4, is the fifth exhibition organized by the entity in its space. In a space that opens up to different trends and formal expressions, with a predilection for painting and sculpture but understood from a global perspective, and where contemporary practices such as video art or installations also have a place. "We want to be a multidisciplinary space to reflect the different trends in art and the concerns that occupy current Catalan creators," emphasizes Foguet.