Spanish Art Shuts Its Doors This Week
THIS WEEK, GALLERIES ACROSS SPAIN HAVE SHUT THEIR DOORS IN PROTEST. WE STAND WITH THEM. HERE IS WHY THIS DISPROPORTIONATE VAT IS NOT JUST A NUMBER—IT’S A NOOSE AROUND THE NECK OF SPANISH CULTURE.
8 FEBRUARY 2026. WORDS BY GONZALO VIEDMA. PIECE WITH ARTIST MAGAZINE
Well, today we are going to delve into what for me is the most important topic of the week, and that’s saying something since several “lost” artworks have been recovered these past few days, including a carving in Italy.
And yes, I’m referring to the gallery strike that happened this week. From Monday the 2nd to Saturday the 7th of February, we have witnessed countless galleries closing their doors, with a notable presence in Madrid where prestigious galleries joined the symbolic shutdown in protest against the VAT, to pressure the Ministry of Culture.
It’s all because of a tax, a rather disproportionate one at that, especially when we compare it to nearby countries, like France where it would be 5.5%, Germany where it’s 7%, or Portugal which recently lowered it from 23% to 6%.
These percentages compared to our staggering 21% leave us completely uncompetitive. This negatively affects all galleries, artists, and even the country. I’m going to say it as clearly as possible: what person is going to buy a painting, or an artwork here, when it will be considerably more expensive, and they would only have to wait for the work to travel to a neighboring country and buy it there?
What person is going to travel to our country with the intention of buying art if they know these figures? Exactly, no one, or very, very few. And right now we are losing sales, which are necessary in the art world, as it is already quite hard-hit.
And so, friends, that’s how I see it. What Spain is doing with this tax reminds me a lot of a scene I once witnessed, one where a small child and his mother are in an office, at a bank for example. On the table, there is the typical container with many candies, for you to take one if you feel like it. But the child, eagerly, proceeds to grab a handful as big as his small hand allows. The mother, upon seeing this, doesn’t hesitate to make him drop all the candies as a punishment, and the child, seeing that because of his greed he has lost all the candies, cries inconsolably. In short, that child represents the Spanish state quite well, which, by wanting to collect more than anyone else, ends up with nothing.
Something that makes us small as a country, that harms galleries, artists, and basically all the people who work in the art sector.
To conclude, from PWA, our total support for the cause. We will always be on the front line here to defend the world of art, especially if it’s the art of our beautiful country that is being harmed. Strength to all the galleries.
Piece with Artist. © www.piecewithartist.com
