Prats Nogueras Blanchard, Barcelona

"The talk of Barcelona's art scene is the recent merger between the Joan Prats gallery and NoguerasBlanchard. The four gallery owners - Álex Nogueras, Rebeca Blanchard and sisters Patricia and Marta de Muga - bring decades of expertise and perspective to their new proverbial round table, rebirthed as Prats Nogueras Blanchard. "It's a rather unorthodox move," says Blanchard. "Galleries are usually rather individualistic projects but we have always believed in the growth that flows from collaboration." The formalisation of this creative alliance comes after more than a decade of the quartet working together on other projects. Their collective sentiment deepened during the challenging years of the coronavirus pandemic, when several galleries put on a group installation inside a defunct flour factory in the village of Corça. "This is a marriage in every sense of the word," says Blanchard with a smile. "We must trust and complement one another." On the edge of the Ensanche district, the gallery's 400 sqm headquarters is an old photography school, revamped by architect Marc Rabassa. The space's inaugural exhibition in April gathered works by Muntadas, followed by a summer show by Argentinean artist Mercedes Azpilicueta. A summer pop-up in Corça also returns this year. The group show, Enlaire, will centre on the work of Josep Royo, best known for creating tapestries with Joan Miró."