MADRID 2010–2021 PARIS 2010 LONDON 2015–2018 CHICAGO 2015 BASEL 2010–2019

Natalia Benítez

Independent contemporary art curator navigating the space between artists, collectors, and institutions since 2010.

natalia@nataliabenitez.com
+34 610 828 968
El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain
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Exhibition Production Press Strategy Art Advisory Collector Relations Curatorial Research Art Fair Operations Digital Strategy Community Programming Exhibition Production Press Strategy Art Advisory Collector Relations Curatorial Research Art Fair Operations Digital Strategy Community Programming
Profile

Over a decade at the centre of the contemporary art ecosystem, from Galería Elba Benítez to Whitechapel Gallery, producing exhibitions from concept through installation, building press campaigns that land, and closing sales with international collectors at ARCO, Art Basel, and Frieze. Now advising private clients on building contemporary art collections, and open to collaborations with platforms and institutions operating at scale.

6+
Press reviews secured per exhibition
20+
Art fair editions across five major fairs
15+
Exhibitions produced at Galería Elba Benítez
Experience
2022 — Present
El Hierro — Remote
Independent Art Advisor Current
Private Practice
  • Advising emerging and established private collectors on contemporary art acquisitions, from artist selection and market research to fair strategy and long-term collection vision.
  • Providing exhibition consultancy and press strategy to independent galleries and artist-run spaces across Spain, drawing on an international network of artists, curators, and institutions.
  • Maintaining active engagement with the contemporary art market through fair visits, auction monitoring, and ongoing relationships with galleries, collectors, and curators across Europe.
Jan 2019 — Aug 2021
Madrid
Exhibition Producer & Press Liaison
Galería Elba Benítez EST. 1990 · ARTNET'S "EUROPE'S 10 MOST RESPECTED ART DEALERS"
  • Managed the full production cycle of the gallery's exhibition programme, producing shows for roster artists including Ernesto Neto, Ignasi Aballí, Carlos Bunga, and Mirosław Bałka, as well as exhibitions by Guillermo Kuitca and Jorge Ribalta, coordinating fabricators, international shipping, insurance, and installation teams across multiple countries and timezones.
  • Conceived and executed press campaigns securing a minimum of six reviews per exhibition from leading art publications, cultural supplements, and broadcast media, strengthening the gallery's international visibility for artists such as Cristina Iglesias (Spain's Venice Biennale representative, National Prize of Plastic Arts).
  • Cultivated collector and institutional relationships at ARCO, Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, and Frieze across 20+ fair editions, generating sales and strengthening the gallery's position with key clients.
  • Led the gallery's digital transformation during the pandemic period, introducing new content formats and social strategies that maintained collector engagement and expanded reach to younger, international audiences when physical programming was disrupted.
  • Represented the gallery at press meetings, panel discussions, and institutional events. Independently attended fairs to scout market trends and develop new programming proposals.
Apr 2017 — Dec 2018
London
Gallery Assistant
Whitechapel Gallery
  • Supported the delivery of over 15 exhibitions during a 20-month tenure, including the Thomas Ruff retrospective (his first major London show, with a concurrent National Portrait Gallery display), Leonor Antunes's site-specific commission, and the first UK survey of Elmgreen & Dragset.
  • Conducted visitor research across the gallery's programme and contributed to audience development strategies, including donation campaigns, weekend workshop programming, and community outreach initiatives targeting underrepresented groups in East London.
Oct 2015 — Feb 2016
London
Artist Liaison Intern
White Cube Bermondsey
  • Conducted exhibition research across departments during a programme featuring Gilbert & George and the group exhibition Tightrope Walk, curated by Barry Schwabsky, supporting the artist liaison team with preparation and coordination for concurrent shows.
  • Curated the documentation display for Sergej Jensen's Moneybags exhibition, selecting and arranging archival and contextual materials for the gallery's presentation of the artist's reclaimed textile works.
Jul — Oct 2015
Chicago
Community Development & Programming Intern
Rebuild Foundation — Theaster Gates
  • Served as primary liaison between Portuguese artist Carlos Bunga and the foundation for Under the Skin, a site-specific installation commissioned for the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial. The work inaugurated the Stony Island Arts Bank, Gates's landmark 17,000 sq ft cultural venue on Chicago's South Side.
  • Managed the preservation and safety of Bunga's installation through to the public opening. Programmed community activities across foundation sites and secured event sponsorships.
  • Inventoried 2,300 ceramics from Gates's Three or Four Shades of Blue, his installation for the 14th Istanbul Biennial curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev.
Feb — Jul 2015
Madrid
Gallery Intern
Galería Elba Benítez
  • Assisted production of the gallery's 25th anniversary programme in Madrid and Bilbao (in collaboration with CarrerasMugica), working across a roster that included Cristina Iglesias, Ernesto Neto, and Carlos Bunga, as well as exhibitions by Nicolas Paris and a photography exhibition and artist book release by Paul Graham. Managed installation, de-installation, and archival operations for the full season.
  • Worked as production and sales assistant at ARCO and TEFAF, negotiating directly with international collectors and closing sales during both fairs.
Apr — Jun 2010
Paris
Personal Assistant & Artist Liaison Intern
Galerie Crèvecoeur
  • Supported daily gallery operations, collector and curator relations, and exhibition production at the newly founded Paris gallery (est. 2009, now a leading presence at Art Basel and Frieze). Assisted the production of works by Jorge Pedro Nuñez for Dynasty, the landmark first collaboration between the Palais de Tokyo and the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, spanning 5,000 sq metres and 40 artists across both institutions.
Art Fairs — Installation, Sales & Documentation with Galería Elba Benítez
ARCO
Madrid
2010–2020
11 editions
Art Basel
Basel
2010–2012, 2018–2019
5 editions
Art Basel
Miami Beach
Miami
2012, 2018–2019
3 editions
Frieze
London
2014–2016
3 editions
TEFAF
Maastricht
2015
1 edition
Curatorial Projects
Alt-Age: Designing Belief

A day-long festival interrogating how technology design has shaped the creation and broadcast of conspiracy theories and new belief systems. Led fundraising through a successful Kickstarter campaign. Commissioned an artist installation, a live performance, six talks, two panel discussions, and four video screenings, including Kyrre Lien's documentary The Internet Warriors. Eight months of transdisciplinary research across contemporary art, design, journalism, and film.

Design Museum, London
RCA MA Graduate Project
2018
Rhythmic Encounters

Co-curated with Alba Folgado. Commissioned two new works by visual artist Mercedes Marín and electronic duo A K E A, combining live music and real-time image improvisation. Secured full project funding covering all artist fees and production costs across both venues.

Chalton Gallery &
Corsica Studios, London
2017
Education
2016 — 2018
MA Curating Contemporary Art
Royal College of Art, London
Course representative. Dissertation explored sound-based events and the practice of listening as social development, enabling dialogue in spaces of difference and conflict. Also supported the RCA Library with special collections archiving and rare books curation.
2011 — 2014
BA (Hons) Art Market
Kingston University, London
Dissertation on the role of the arts as a catalyst for social development, examining education access, child labour in illegal mining, and environmental destruction in an indigenous community in the Venezuelan Amazon. Foundation year at London South Bank University (2010–2011).
Expertise & Languages
Exhibition ProductionPress & Media StrategyArt AdvisoryArtist & Collector Liaison Art Fair Operations & SalesCuratorial ResearchFundraising & SponsorshipDigital Strategy & SocialAudience DevelopmentCommunity ProgrammingProject ManagementInDesign
Spanish
Native
English
Bilingual
French
Intermediate