Eleven years later the grieving was done

In Madrid, outside the Reina Sofia Museum, seeking international contemporary art, if the gallery Helga de Alvear that is needed. It is all about. This is that you can see heavy weight of the world stage, as the American photographer Philip Lorca di Corcia, beautiful and strange images sheltered in the Canadian Jeff Wall light boxes or monumental installations made of phrases created by Jenny Holzer. This is also that can meet a small very smiling woman, the mistress of the scene.

Helga de Alvear was born in 1936 near Frankfurt. She visited Spain in 1957, history of the language and is never distributed. It is in the Iberian Peninsula that she found her husband. It is here also that she found her passion: art. But the small Lady, so dynamic and decided, was a mother who has raised her three children. Today, she is the head of the largest private collection of contemporary art in the country. 2,000 works which give a fairly complete panorama of contemporary creation in twenty years and who will be the collection of a museum scheduled to open in a year in Extremadura, on the border between the Spain and the Portugal.

Click in this history, it is the friendship. "I bought art since 1967." One of my friends gallery owners, Juana Mordo, was in financial difficulties. I helped him and I took part in the activity of the gallery. "In 1984, Juana Mordo dies and Helga de Alvear resumes the gallery. Eleven years later, the grieving was done. Given new impetus. It gives its name to the space. Then, Gallery or collector "Helga de Alvear the collector is in competition with Helga de Alvear the gallery." But above all, above all, I leave always the buyer choose. In other words, when I do exhibitions, I show only the things that I would like to have and if it remains unsold works I keep for me.

Those who have seen Helga de Alvear walk in many shows in which she is involved can ask if it is to sell or purchase. Thus, during the last fair Arco in Madrid, in February, it acquisition, among other things, on the stand of the New York Alexander and Bonin of a known Palestinian plastic artist Mona Hatoum installation Gallery. She is not afraid to advertise for contestants. It takes you on their stand. His gaze is becoming clearer by showing you exhibit. "Drowning Sorrows" the title refers to the expression "drown sorrow", Walnut grief sound is composed of shards of tequila bottles arranged in a circle. She is very enthusiastic. "It is the second piece of Mona Hatoum I buy," she says in a big smile. It is not known, however justified his act. "She speaks of life." I am sure. Now, should I read on the subject to go further.

It is a large Gallery, Helga de Alvear continues to work for his choice to instinct. Indeed when it scans the catalogue of his collection it says that it represents only 5 of the total , Director wire does not meets the eye. A large neon installation dated 1988 in orange and blue of the American minimalist, Dan Flavin, alongside a sculpture in bronze of the Genevoise Sylvie Fleury, representing an oversized perfume bottle, a facility of arachnéens nets of Brazilian Ernesto Neto, or images in contrasting colours that appear to be drawn with a film of the 1950s the Australian Tracey Moffatt. "Everyone would caser me in a particular category." I organize exhibitions of artists that attract me, intuitively and spontaneously and I want to my own collection. This can be any kind of art of any category. "As to nationality, the gallery owner, was born in Germany and feel Spanish, was cure. "I love the German photo." I have lots of images of the Bascher example but I also have many Americans. There is no boundaries in art. There are just good and bad artists.

Helga de Alvear seems to take art as an excellent antidote to old age. Its taste is guided by the desire of "live with (my) time. "On a youth to be." Collect, is to be young. You see everything. All read.

In April 2007, the first part of its collection will be thus unveiled to Caceres public under the auspices of the region of Extremadura in a 1908 building, redesigned and completed to obey Museum vocation. "Draft me was proposed by the local authorities." It is more interesting than the prospect of my children who sell everything. There where I will go in the last resort, I can't take anything", she concludes with its fun air.