From the Online Edition - Translated to English

Art Covers | Eight artists celebrate the fusion of business and art by designing exclusive Forbes covers

BY JOAQUÍN TORREBLANCA

MARCH 7, 2025

The connection between business and contemporary art has found a new meeting point with  Forbes Art Covers , an ambitious project that seeks to capture the vision of success through creativity and which, after its presentation a few weeks ago, has once again had its meeting point this Friday, March 7, at the private club  Forbes House , where artists, collectors and industry representatives gathered to discover how eight creators have reinterpreted the essence of Forbes in a series of unique covers.

The event was presented by Mercedes Martín , who highlighted the innovative nature of the project and thanked the brands that made this initiative possible:  Ducati, Lexus, Ruinart, Ron Burlanegra and 1866 .

A few weeks ago, the launch of this project was announced at Forbes House, and now, coinciding with the  ARCO International Contemporary Art Fair , the public had the opportunity to see the final result. Eight highly acclaimed artists were tasked with capturing, through their personal style, the values of innovation and forward-thinking that Forbes represents.

The creators who have given life to this initiative are  Dulk, Ana Barriga, DFace, Adriana Oliver, Ryan Heshka, Javi Calleja, Jaime Sancorlo and Sandra Rojo Picón . During the evening, five of them were present:  Dulk, Ana Barriga, Adriana Oliver, Jaime Sancorlo and Sandra Rojo Picón , who shared their creative process and the meaning of their works with the attendees. Although DFace, Javi Calleja and Ryan Heshka were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, their creations were also presented and analyzed.

The evening continued with a presentation by  Daniel Entrialgo , Deputy Director of Forbes Spain, who emphasized: "If you walk around the floors of Forbes House, you'll see a passion for trying to feature works of art, photography, the world of architecture... It's part of the project: combining the world of business with that of culture and art." Regarding the works presented, he said they are "an interpretation of the concept of success on a Forbes cover."

Afterwards, Gabriel Suárez , curator of Art Covers  and founder of Lucha de Gigantes , spoke  : "Today is a very important day for me and for all the artists who have participated in this project. I want to thank Andrés; we all owe him his courage in supporting ultra-contemporary Spanish and international art. I want to thank the artists for the effort, love, and passion they have put into this project."

Two panel discussions on art and success

To delve deeper into the analysis of the works,  Chema de Francisco , director of  Stampa , moderated two panel discussions with the participating artists.

In the first, Dulk, Ana Barriga, and Gabriel Suárez took the stage  . The latter also spoke on behalf of  DFace and Ryan Heshka , who were absent from the evening. Throughout the conversation, the artists revealed how their pieces reflect the essence of Forbes through their own style and experience.

At the second panel, Adriana Oliver, Nacho (representing Javi Calleja), Jaime Sancorlo, and Sandra Rojo Picón spoke  . This discussion explored the diversity of techniques and approaches used to capture the concept of success on Forbes Art Covers.

The event concluded with a cocktail reception where attendees continued their conversation about the works and the relationship between art and business.  Forbes Art Covers  thus consolidates its position as a meeting point for creativity and innovation, reaffirming the role of art as a driver of new narratives in business.

From The Print Edition- Translated to English

Forbes Art Covers is a pioneering and innovative project conceived by Andrés Rodríguez and Gabriel Suárez that merges the worlds of business and art. This initiative showcases the essence of Forbes through the eyes of eight renowned ultra-contemporary artists, with works created exclusively for this cover collection that interpret their vision of success.

THE CONCEPT IS VERY CLOSE TO THE BOLDEST MUSICAL COVERS, WHICH TAKE THE ORIGINAL SONG FROM ITS COMFORT ZONE AND TURN IT INTO SOMETHING RADICALLY AND JOYFULLY DIFFERENT

Gabriel Suárez believes in the virtues of pop-inspired figurative art.

He likes it rather stark, a little frivolous and with a touch of irony.

Suárez, a jeweler, art patron, and curator, driving force behind projects such as the Lucha de gigantes exhibition and creative factory, coordinates the Art Covers project for Forbes, a bridge between contemporary art and the business world.

The initiative, sponsored by Ducati, Lexus, Ruinart, Ron Burlanegra, and Brandy Gran Reserva 1866, was presented on January 28 at Forbes House, the private Madrid club that serves as the magazine's social and recreational headquarters.

Eight artists have created works inspired by Forbes' brand values and vision of success. The result, a preview of which we offer in these pages, will be exhibited from March 5 to 9 during Madrid Art Week. During the Forbes House event, Suárez described Art Covers as an act of her courage.

Above all, for his commitment to figurative art, which "is a fundamental expression in the history of art, but is often overshadowed by more contemporary trends."

The exhibition coordinator has assembled an exceptional team of pop activists, from Cádiz-born Ana Barriga to Barcelona-born Adriana Oliver, as well as Valencia-born Dulk, Canada-born Ryan Heshka, Madrid-born Sandra Rojo Picón and Jaime Sancorlo, Malaga-born Javi Calleja, and London-born D*Face.

The instructions received by this group of artists were simple and left ample room for creativity and reinterpretation:

It was simply about portraying an image of success that somehow connected with the essence of Forbes and its century-old tradition.

That is to say, we can count on the fertile expressionist vignettes of Ryan Heshka (a universe of mutant insects, aliens and femme fatales rescued from underground comics and B-movie films), the impetus and corrosive street humor of Dean Stockton (D*Face), the Japanese tigers and dolls of Barri-ga, the vigorous and tenacious childishness of Javi Calleja, the gallery of enigmatic faceless portraits of Oliver or the dazzling alternative faunas of Antonio Segura, Dulk.

The concept, as conceived

Suárez is very close to the daring musical covers, which are expected to tear the original song out of its comfort zone, twist its neck, and transform it into something radically and joyously different. That's what Oliver and company have done with Forbes.

The result will be visible to everyone very soon.

https://forbes.es/forbes-art-covers/