Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia Thursday inaugurated the 27th Contemporary Art (Arco) fair, which focuses on photography and political and social themes rather than more traditional types of modern art, according to dpa. The event, which ranges among the world's top art fairs, brings together 257 art galleries from 34 countries, displaying works by 3,500 artists, with Brazil as the guest country. The general tone was rather serious, the daily El Pais said, observing that it was becoming more and more difficult to create a shock effect in contemporary art. The Arco runs through Sunday.
