Helga de Alvear, German-Born Art Dealer and Collector, Dies at 88

ARCOmadrid 2026 4–8 March 2026

Helga de Alvear (1936–2025), the collector who founded one of Spain’s best known galleries, Galería Helga de Alvear, died in Madrid on 2 February. She was 88.

In a joint statement released with Helga de Alvear Foundation, director of the Helga de Alvear Museum Sandra Guimarães called de Alvear ‘a visionary leader’ who played an ‘indispensable role in the development of the Spanish and international artistic context’.

‘Thanks to her generosity and her unwavering commitment to society, today we have one of the most relevant international collections of contemporary art in Europe,’ Guimarães said. ‘We can continue working to fulfil her dream: to transform people’s lives through art.’

Born in the German city of Kirn, de Alvear arrived in Spain in 1957 to study the language and culture. In 1959, she married the architect Jaime de Alvear, with whom she had three daughters. De Alvear came into contact with Spain’s art scene through friend and gallerist Juana Mordó in 1967. She worked at Mordó’s gallery from 1980 and took over after the latter’s death in 1984. The following year, she opened her eponymous contemporary art gallery next door to the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid.

Galería Helga de Alvear was among the first of its kind in Spain, representing artists with an international profile such as Ángela de la Cruz, Elmgreen & Dragset, Thomas Demand, and Isaac Julien.

In 2006, de Alvear established the Helga de Alvear Foundation for her collection which now comprises more than 3,000 works by artists ranging from Picasso to Jenny Holzer and Antoni Tàpies. In 2021 the collection was made available to the public with the opening of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Helga de Alvear in the Spanish city of Cáceresi. —[O]

Main image: Helga de Alvear, in front of a work by Ai Weiwei. Courtesy Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Helga de Alvear. Photo: Andy Sole.