The Collector's Guide to Global Art & Design Fairs: September 2025 – July 2026

This is last season’s calendar. The 2026–27 edition is now live, covering September 2026 to July 2027 with this season’s structural changes.

How to use this calendar

The fair season works as a sequence. Decisions at one event shape opportunities at the next. Use the month-by-month plan to cluster travel, secure preview access, and align fair visits with auctions, museum shows, and studio appointments.

September 2025

Seoul

Frieze Seoul — 3–6 Sep 2025, COEX. Asia-facing anchor for blue-chip and curated contemporary programmes. Access to both Frieze and KIAF via combined ticketing. Advice: Pair with KIAF for complete coverage of Korean and regional galleries.

KIAF SEOUL — 3–7 Sep 2025, COEX. Korea’s longest-running fair with strong domestic depth and increasing international reach. Advice: Use KIAF for secondary looks after Frieze previews.

New York

Collectible NYC — 4–7 Sep 2025. U.S. edition of the Brussels design fair focused on contemporary collectible design. Advice: Prioritise commissioning conversations with galleries debuting new series in the U.S. market.

Independent 20th Century — 4–7 Sep 2025, Casa Cipriani. Historically focused presentations from 1900–2000. Advice: Ideal for museum-quality twentieth-century rediscoveries.

The Armory Show — 5–7 Sep 2025. New York’s major contemporary fair with curated sections. Advice: Confirm VIP access and set a shortlist before arrival.

Art on Paper — 4–7 Sep 2025, Pier 36. Medium-driven fair for works on and with paper. Advice: Efficient route to drawings, editions, collage, and experimental paper-based works.

Sydney

Sydney Contemporary — 11–14 Sep 2025, Carriageworks. Strongest Australasian fair, useful for scouting regional positions. Advice: Add museum visits and public-programme talks for context.

October 2025

London: 14–19 Oct is the peak collector week

PAD London — 14–19 Oct 2025, Berkeley Square. High-calibre twentieth-century decorative arts and contemporary design. Advice: Early attendance for museum-level pieces.

Frieze London — 15–19 Oct 2025, The Regent’s Park. Leading fair for contemporary art with established and emerging programmes. Advice: Treat VIP day as non-negotiable for first choice.

Frieze Masters — 15–19 Oct 2025, The Regent’s Park. From antiquity to late twentieth century in museum-grade presentations. Advice: Use to place contemporary acquisitions in historical context.

1-54 London — 16–19 Oct 2025, Somerset House. Focus on contemporary art from Africa and the diaspora. Advice: Strong discovery potential and curatorial depth.

Paris Art Week: 21–26 Oct

Design Miami/ Paris — 21–26 Oct 2025. Historic to contemporary collectible design with major European galleries. Advice: Good moment for commission discussions and material-innovation scouting.

Paris Internationale — 22–26 Oct 2025. Collaborative, adventurous presentations by emerging and mid-tier galleries. Advice: Allocate time for full-building discovery.

Paris+ par Art Basel — 24–26 Oct 2025. Paris’s flagship contemporary fair. Advice: Secure preview access through galleries or membership.

London, post-Frieze

LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair — 28 Oct–2 Nov 2025, Berkeley Square. Vetted fine art, jewellery, silver, furniture, and modern decorative arts. Advice: Calmer follow-up to Frieze week, helpful for considered acquisitions.

November 2025

Artissima — Early November 2025, Turin. Italy’s most experimental contemporary art fair. Advice: Focus on curated sections for new voices.

Salon Art + Design — 6–10 Nov 2025, Park Avenue Armory, New York. Cross-collecting fair that bridges design and fine art. Advice: Align with Upper East Side gallery visits.

Art Cologne — 6–9 Nov 2025. Historic European fair with broad price spectrum. Advice: Useful for postwar German positions and editions.

West Bund Art & Design — 14–16 Nov 2025, Shanghai. Mainland China’s leading fair cluster week with ART021. Advice: Pre-book local logistics and museum visits.

ART021 Shanghai — 13–16 Nov 2025. Complement to West Bund with international and domestic galleries. Advice: Plan sequential routes between both fairs.

Paris Photo — 13–16 Nov 2025, Grand Palais Éphémère. The most important photography fair worldwide. Advice: Shortlist vintage vs contemporary targets in advance.

Abu Dhabi Art — 19–23 Nov 2025, Manarat Al Saadiyat. Region-defining fair with strong institutional engagement. Advice: Pair with Saadiyat museum programme for wider context.

December 2025

Miami Art Week

Design Miami — 2–7 Dec 2025, Miami Beach. Premier platform for historic and contemporary collectible design. Advice: Prioritise preview for unique pieces and collaborative commissions.

Art Basel Miami Beach — 5–7 Dec 2025, Miami Beach Convention Center. Flagship U.S. art fair across Modern and Contemporary. Advice: Book hotels and dining early, curate a satellite-fair hit list.

Recommended satellites: Untitled, NADA, SCOPE, Design District gallery programming.

Context: Kochi-Muziris Biennale opens 12 Dec 2025 and runs through 31 Mar 2026, valuable for South Asian context.

January 2026

ART SG — 23–25 Jan 2026, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Southeast Asia’s key fair during Singapore Art Week. Advice: Combine with local gallery programme and museum shows.

FOG Design+Art — 21–25 Jan 2026, Fort Mason, San Francisco. West Coast design and art platform with strong institutional ties. Advice: Consider Preview Gala for support of SFMOMA and early access.

Ceramic Brussels — 21–25 Jan 2026, Tour & Taxis. The first international contemporary art fair dedicated to ceramics. Advice: Dovetail your visit with BRAFA below.

BRAFA — 25 Jan–1 Feb 2026, Brussels Expo. One of Europe’s oldest fairs, from antiquities to contemporary. Advice: Excellent for cross-category collecting and connoisseurship.

February 2026

Art Basel Qatar — 5–7 Feb 2026, Doha, previews 3–4 Feb. New Middle East edition of Art Basel, strategic for Gulf collections. Advice: Expect focused scale in year one, schedule museum and public-art visits.

India Art Fair — 5–8 Feb 2026, New Delhi. South Asia’s largest modern and contemporary fair. Advice: Line up shipping and insurance early.

1-54 Marrakech — 5–8 Feb 2026. North African edition of the leading African contemporary fair. Advice: Split time between La Mamounia and partner venues.

Frieze Los Angeles — 26 Feb–1 Mar 2026. Compact fair with West Coast, Latin American, and international galleries. Advice: Allocate a day for gallery districts and museums.

Felix Art Fair — 25 Feb–1 Mar 2026. Hotel-format fair that rewards slower looking. Advice: Good for emerging and mid-tier discoveries.

March 2026

ARCOmadrid — 4–8 Mar 2026, IFEMA. Major European fair with curated country and thematic focuses. Advice: Coordinate with Madrid’s museum programme.

TEFAF Maastricht — 14–19 Mar 2026, MECC Maastricht. Benchmark for vetted fine art, antiques, and design. Advice: Build a daily route by category to handle the scale.

Unseen at Art Rotterdam — 26–29 Mar 2026, Rotterdam Ahoy. Photography fair integrated into Art Rotterdam. Advice: Reserve time for publishers and photobook specialists.

Collect (Crafts Council) — 25 Feb–1 Mar 2026, Somerset House, London. International craft and design from master makers to experimental studios. Advice: Useful for applied-arts collections and commissions.

Art Basel Hong Kong — 27–29 Mar 2026. Asia’s most important contemporary fair with strong Greater China, Japan, and Korea presence. Advice: Book restaurant access and museum slots early.

April 2026

Art Paris — 3–6 Apr 2026, Grand Palais Éphémère. Modern and contemporary with strong European focus and curatorial themes.

Salone del Mobile, Milan Design Week — 14–19 Apr 2026. The world’s largest design event across fairgrounds and city-wide installations. Advice: Divide time between Rho Fiera and districts such as Brera and Tortona.

Dallas Art Fair — 16–19 Apr 2026. Growing market with serious U.S. collector attendance. Advice: Preview benefit supports key institutions and gives early buying.

PAD’s Paris edition each spring is the design-world barometer — I wrote about what won, and why provenance now sets the price, from the 2026 fair.

May 2026

Frieze New York — May 2026, The Shed, dates TBC. Influential, compact fair focused on leading contemporary galleries. Advice: Expect concentrated quality rather than volume.

TEFAF New York — 15–19 May 2026, Park Avenue Armory. Museum-level fair for fine and decorative arts. Advice: Build time for Upper East Side galleries and house museums — and read my notes from the collectors’ preview.

Photo London — May 2026, Somerset House, dates TBC. Major photography fair in the UK capital. Advice: Balance dealers, publishers, and talks.

London Craft Week — May 2026, dates TBC. City-wide programme opening workshops, galleries, and showrooms. Advice: Plan by neighbourhood for efficiency.

AIPAD The Photography Show — 22–26 May 2026, Park Avenue Armory, New York. Historic photography fair with rigorous dealer standards.

June 2026

Art Basel, Basel — 18–21 Jun 2026, preview 16–17 Jun. Europe’s apex week for Modern and Contemporary. Advice: Pace Unlimited and Parcours to avoid overload.

Treasure House Fair — 25–30 Jun 2026, Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. Upscale fair for art, antiques, and design during the London season.

July 2026

WOW!house — Summer 2026, Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. Full-scale showhouse by leading interior designers and makers. Advice: Use to assess craftsmanship in situ and suppliers for commissions — my walk through the 2026 house covers the art and collectible design room by room.

Collector’s playbook

• Map overlaps. Target weeks where multiple fairs run in one city, for example London in October or Paris in late October.
• Prioritise VIP days. Most key works place before public hours. Secure preview access through galleries, memberships, or your advisor.
• Pre-select exhibitors. Review lists in advance and fix a stand-by-stand route.
• Schedule private viewings. Ask for off-floor appointments to see back-room works.
• Track curated sections. Thematic areas often deliver the clearest narratives.
• Integrate auctions. Pair fair visits with evening sales for fuller market coverage.
• Cultivate relationships. Time with dealers opens doors to priority consignments.
• Document properly. Photograph labels and stands for follow-up.
• Attend talks. Panels reveal curatorial and market direction.
• Visit institutions. Museums and foundations frame the wider context.

FAQs

How do I access VIP previews? Invite pathways include exhibiting galleries, patron programmes, and advisor introductions. Some fairs sell patron passes with preview access.

Which fairs suit first-time collectors? Art Paris, Collect London, and design-specific events such as PAD and Salon offer scale that is easier to navigate while keeping quality high.

Frieze London versus Frieze Masters? Frieze London focuses on twenty-first and late twentieth century. Masters spans antiquity through the late twentieth century, including works on paper and Old Masters.

How should I budget? Include travel, hotels close to venues, shipping, insurance, conservation checks, and any paid preview memberships.

Are prices negotiable? Mid-tier and emerging segments sometimes allow price movement. Blue-chip works typically have firm pricing, although terms such as staged payments or framing and delivery can be agreed.

Do fairs duplicate gallery shows? Galleries often reserve important or new consignments for fairs. You will also see selections from concurrent gallery exhibitions.

How early to plan trips? Book three to six months ahead for major weeks. Preview allocations often happen weeks before public opening.

How to choose between overlapping fairs? Match the event to your focus. In late October 2025 a design-led collector should start with Design Miami/ Paris, while a contemporary art focus points to Paris+ par Art Basel.

Are smaller fairs worth the time? Boutique formats allow deeper conversations and unique finds without the intensity of the largest shows.

How to track purchases? Maintain an acquisition log with fair, gallery, artist, work details, condition notes, price, shipping, and insurance.

Fair organisers, submit your details

We maintain a live calendar used by collectors and institutions. To appear or update your listing, please provide the following in one email. We accept updates on a rolling basis.

Required fields: fair name; edition city; start and end dates; venue and full address; public opening hours; preview and VIP hours; primary categories (for example contemporary art, collectible design, photography, antiquities); website URL; media contact name and email; exhibitor list link or PDF.

Optional fields: curated sections and themes; talks and programming summary; vetting process overview; press kit link; high-res hero image (300 dpi minimum, with credits and usage permissions); social handles.

Where to send: info@grantpierrus.com, subject line “Fair submission: [City] [Month Year]”. Submissions are reviewed for accuracy and category fit. Updates to dates and programming are welcomed at any time.

Notes on planning

Dates marked “TBC” will be finalised by organisers. Always reconfirm when booking travel. We update this calendar continuously and welcome organiser corrections and additions.