- The Spanish institution is offering six new grants for artists of any nationality, with a prize of 23,000 euros and the opportunity to show their work in the annual exhibition Itinerarios.
- Many of the artists who have received this support throughout their careers are already highly recognised – both nationally and internationally – and exhibit their work in leading contemporary art institutions and events.
Fundación Botín is calling for applications for its Art Grants, whose application period will remain open until 9 May. Over a period of 32 years since their creation in 1993, more than 200 artists have benefited from Fundación Botín Art Grants, which aim to support artists by aiding in the training, development and production of their personal projects and research, always focusing on artistic creation and not theoretical studies. These grants have no age limit and have an international scope.
An annually appointed external jury comprised of artists – many of them former beneficiaries of these grants – curators and industry professionals assess the applications and advise Fundación Botín to ensure that the objectives of the open call are met. Over the years, the jury for these grants has included prominent names from the international art scene such as Chus Martínez, director of the Institute of Art at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel; Manuel Segade, director of the Reina Sofía Museum; independent curators Agustín Pérez Rubio and Filipa Ramos; Stefanie Hessler, director of the Swiss Institute in New York; Nuria Enguita, artistic director of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Architecture in Lisbon, and Suzanne Cotter, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), among others.
In its 32nd edition, Fundación Botín is offering six new grants open to artists of any nationality. One of these is specifically aimed at creators under 30 years of age – of Spanish nationality or a resident in Spain for at least the five years prior to the application – who wish to move abroad to continue with their work, studies or artistic residencies. Each of the selected artists will receive a grant of 23,000 euros, intended to cover expenses related to the project during the period of the grant, such as travel, accommodation, living expenses, studio rental and other production costs. In addition to this financial support, at the end of the grant period the artists will present the result of their work at the annual exhibition Itinerarios, whose 29th edition opened last 23 November, and in the accompanying catalogue.
Once the nine-month grant period is over, Fundación Botín will continue to support the artists and closely monitor their work, incorporating – when the time comes – some of their works into its Art Collection through purchase. The collection is periodically included in the exhibition programme, which began a new direction in 2023 under the title ENREDOS (ENTANGLEMENTS), with the aim of showcasing current works by a selected former fellows, linking their work to works in the collection, to the building and to visitors at Centro Botín. During 2023, the sculptures and drawings of Eva Fàbregas were exhibited as part of this proposal, and this year, in the second edition of ENREDOS, the Portuguese artist Nuno da Luz will propose an atmospheric and poetic interaction between his newly-created sound installations and a selection of works from Fundación Botín Art Collection, an exhibition that will be on display at Centro Botín from 24 May to 19 October 2025.
Those interested in applying for one of these grants must submit their application using the registration form found on the web pages of Fundación Botín (www.fundacionbotin.org/becas-convocatorias) or Centro Botín (www.centrobotin.org/becas), and send hard copies of the remaining required documents by 9 May. The jury’s final decision will be announced from 14 July 2025 on both websites.
Photo credit: Belén de Benito.
Caption (from left to right): Begoña Guerrica-Echevarría; Alice dos Reis; Patricia Domínguez; Bárbara Rodriguez Muñoz; Fátima Sánchez Santiago; Belén Rodríguez; Laura Fernández Antolín; María Salgado y Antonio Menchen.
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