Promoted by the El Diario Vasco newspaper, the Galería DV opened in 1994. Lourdes Fernández directed the gallery until the end of 2002, when she took up the directorship of the Manifesta 5 Biennial. Prior to the DV, Fernández had been working in Madrid at the Galería Marlborough since 1989, when it opened at its present site on Calle Orfila.
During its time in operation, Galería DV was an important platform for young artists. It particularly catered to graduates of the University of the Basque Country in Leioa and those who had continued their studies at the Arteleku Centre (a key venue in San Sebastian in those years) who needed a context to develop their work and launch it on the contemporary art market.
Galería DV offered a consistent programme combining young artists (J.R. Amondarain, Iñaki Gracenea, Manu Muniategiandikoetxea, Maider López, Alberto Peral, Pello Irazu, Sergio Prego and Gorka Eizagirre), with more established names on the international scene (Eduardo Chillida, Seydou Keïta, Cristina Iglesias, Ana Mendieta, Sean Scully and Ojeikere). It also developed a publicisation and outreach programme, participating actively at art fairs—such as ArcoMadrid, Art Forum Berlin and Expo Chicago—which helped boost the career of many artists of the time. It also formed a meeting place for the local art scene with which it grew apace.
