Algerian gallerist Magda Belloti at 68 he failed. As a recognized patron, he was a representative of contemporary art, which rose to prominence thanks to his involvement in artistic creation and thanks to his constant support of generations of artists.
She studied philosophy at the University of Seville, grew up in a family cult – a British mother and a disgraced father tied to socialist illegality – and from childhood visited museums such as the Vatican, the Louvre or the British Museum, which marked her future dedication to art.
In 1982, the gallery that raised her name was opened in Algeciras, a peripheral city and not very active in the art field, which she maintained for two decades due to the economic insecurity of the area.
Contó s the legacy of historic gallerists such as Juana Mordó and Juana de Aizpuruand programmed exhibitions of key Spanish artists of the second half of the 20th century, from José Guerrero to Miguel Ángel Campan or José Manuel Brot.
In 2001, the gallery moved to Madrid, near the Reina Sofia Museum, consolidating its presence on the national scene.
The owner of the gallery, Isabel Hurley, noted her on her Instagram account as “a model for the profession, able to maintain in Algeciras, in her hometown, a space where exhibitions of a great level were planned”. “Visits to his gallery meant a lot to me, they were like breathing life-giving air that brings a special stimulus and happiness,” he wrote.
Belloti was one an active defender of the contemporary art system“So much abuse from the outside and the inside,” Hurley said.
He encouraged the IAC (Instituto de Arte Contemporáneo) and the MAV (Mujeres en las Artes Visuales), as well as the galley association, and participated in the juries of awards such as the Andalucía de Artes Plásticas or el Velázquez.
Belloti, who specialized in the art of the last 25 years of the 20th century to the present day, also emerged thanks to his international project and the dominance of the English language, which was not usual in the Spanish art of his beginnings. It has participated in the PhotoEspaña photography festival since its inception in 1998 and the ARCO fair in Madrid since its first year in 1982.
In 2015, the Ayuntamiento of Algeciras awarded her the Medal of Our Lady of La Palma, which is awarded annually to people who have contributed to the cultural enrichment and dissemination of the city.
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