This article aims to diagnose certain characteristics of the resilient personality in the Spanish artists who developed their artistic careers in the years before the economic crisis that began in 2008 and who have suffered the resulting loss in their activity and their economy. Along with sources of positive psychology that analyze resilience as an individual's personal and social ability to effectively overcome situations of crisis, this paper is based on the research developed by the authors in recent years from data provided by more than 1,100 visual and plastic artists in Spain, a wide survey about the economic situation of this sector nowadays and the evolution since the beginning of the economic crisis. It also seeks to determine whether there is a resilient artist profile, which through personal, social and professional tools, has reoriented his career and maintains his artistic activity as the main source of income. The methodology used, both analytic and descriptive, allows determining not only what characteristics of the resilient personality may be detected in this group of artists, but also which tools they use to survive the crisis in the current art market.

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, and the restrictions imposed by the social distance and the enforced confinement, are having an impact on the art markets globally. The aim of this article is to evaluate the impact of an external shock in the primary art market, using three countries as a case study: Portugal, Spain, and Brazil. These geographies have in common being at the margins in the art market’s main art hubs. It is intended to analyze how agents are responding to the new context, according to the data gathered within the gallery sector. The methods applied in the research are a combination of surveys carried out by the authors, field-based observation, along with an academic literature review, complemented by international and national reports analysis. The study’s main findings allow us to characterize the art market as a very resilient sector that energetically responded to the crisis, able to adapt and overcome challenges imposed by the new pandemic situation. Contemporary art galleries expanded digital activities, kept participating in art fairs hybrid models, continued to focus on internationalization, and pointed to the strengthening of public policies towards the sector and partnerships as key strategies to overcome the crisis.

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Este artículo describe la actividad de las artistas españolas, partiendo de los resultados del estudio realizado por los autores a nivel nacional con datos aportados por más de 1.100 artistas, primer análisis en profundidad sobre el sector de los/las artistas plásticos y visuales en España, su actividad profesional y circunstancias económicas y laborales, su relación con los agentes del mercado del arte y la evolución histórica de las últimas décadas. Por primera vez en un estudio de estas características, se ha segmentado al colectivo de mujeres artistas, 52% del total, analizando sus circunstancias y comparándolas con los datos aportados por los hombres y con los resultados globales, y contextualizándolo dentro de la actual coyuntura económica. Así, junto a aspectos generales de la creación femenina en España y su relación con el mercado, aportamos datos inéditos sobre la precariedad y desigualdad en la que viven y trabajan las artistas españolas.