Started by dealers as a means of competing with auction houses, art fairs were designed to amass a global audience within a single place and are the epicenters of art business. Attending an art fair is one way for collectors to immerse themselves in the latest happenings of the art world in a given place and time. Bringing together a range of galleries, curators, and artists under one roof in a large-scale, booth-style event, fairs allow collectors to view a wide range of works in a relatively short span of time, all while making meaningful connections with a global community of art professionals. Art fairs take place in locations around the world throughout the year. There were more than 300 fairs in 2023! Widely acknowledged as the first international art fair of its kind, Art Cologne began in 1967, closely followed by Art Brussels (1968) and Art Basel (1970). Each of these fairs have since continued to run annually.

Art Basel began in 1970, setting the art world abuzz and later creating the go-to format for the best art fairs the world over. They have grown into the largest art fair in the world and now have editions in Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris. Art Basel is launching its first Middle Eastern fair, Art Basel Qatar in February 2026.

Frieze has become one of the most influential contemporary art fairs today since it was established in 2003, and now has fairs in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Seoul, as well as acquisitions The Armory Show in New York and EXPO Chicago. And Frieze is launching in Abu Dhabi in November 2026.

Image: Ugo Rondinone, Art Basel Paris 2025

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