10 Must-See Art Fairs for Collectors of All Levels | Artsy

Bringing together hundreds, sometimes thousands, of artworks and visitors in one place, art fairs offer the best opportunity to gain insight into the current art market.

Fairs come in all shapes and sizes, from a few dozen to hundreds of exhibitors. Prices for the works on offer vary, with affordable options at fairs like the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) to blue-chip, multi-million dollar masterpieces at Art Basel.

Collectors eager to buy will undoubtedly have more than enough inventory to choose from at any fair. Buyers and non-buyers alike can self-educate, discover new artists and galleries, or simply spend a few hours admiring artwork.

Most art fairs also offer a variety of programming, including panels and discussions with dealers, artists, and collectors, to expand the visitor experience beyond simply viewing or purchasing. Whether you’re looking to fill your walls, build a collection, or discover new art, there’s a fair somewhere in the world that will meet your needs and tastes.

Here’s our pick of 10 art fairs for collectors of all skill levels.

Founded in 1970 in Basel, Art Basel is the world’s leading art fair. With events in Basel, Hong Kong, Miami Beach, and Paris, the fair showcases coveted works by the most influential names in modern and contemporary art, as well as the industry’s rising stars.

International giants like Hauser & Wirth and Gagosian participate in the fair’s many editions each year, exhibiting alongside promising smaller and mid-sized galleries. While the high cost of exhibiting at Art Basel and the prospect of reaching a wealthy clientele means that dealers typically offer high-value, blue-chip works, it’s not uncommon to find gems for under $10,000.

The fair’s mood varies from place to place. The Basel edition, for example, attracts seasoned collectors, curators and academics. Its tone is more serious than Miami Beach’s, which draws a mix of collectors, celebrities and art enthusiasts who are as enthusiastic about the parties as they are about the art.

Founded in London in 2003, Frieze is a leading platform for seasoned buyers and aspiring collectors to collect the latest and greatest works by mid-career and established modern and contemporary artists.

The fair takes place in London, with Frieze London and Frieze Masters (its edition devoted to major works from antiquity to the late 20th century), as well as in Los Angeles, New York and Seoul. Each edition welcomes top and mid-tier galleries from around the world as well as a host of regional exhibitors.

In 2023, Frieze acquired EXPO Chicago and the Armory Show in New York, expanding its American repertoire. Prices for works can reach into the millions of dollars, but visitors can also find a good selection for under $10,000. The rare and trendy nature of Frieze’s masters, however, means that this edition’s presentations are unlikely to be as affordable, though they will surely satisfy art history buffs.

Founded in 1988, the European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) holds annual fairs in the Dutch city of Maastricht and New York, bringing together museum-quality art, antiques, and design. While the Maastricht edition spans millennia (the fair features works from “over 7,000 years of art history”), the New York version focuses more on modern and contemporary art and design.

The Maastricht fair is also three times the size of its American counterpart, with 270 top dealers in 2024 compared to New York’s 90. Visitors looking to discover emerging artists may not be wowed by either fair, but there are occasional mid-tier artists, interspersed with art historical giants like Pablo Picasso and Edvard Munch.

The Armory Show, one of New York’s longest-running fairs, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with more than 235 exhibitors from over 30 countries at Midtown’s sprawling Javits Center. Newly integrated into the Frieze network, the Armory Show boasts an equally impressive roster of exhibitors, including renowned dealers like Sean Kelly Gallery, as well as younger, emerging names like Rebecca Camacho Presents.

The fair is not a blue-chip affair like events like Art Basel and instead sits closer to the middle of the market, catering to budding collectors and seasoned buyers alike.

The large space provides The Armory Show with ample room to present large-scale, site-specific works in the Platform section, a refreshing opportunity to see aspects of an artist’s practice that might not fit into a smaller art fair model.

Mexico City’s Zona Maco is Latin America’s largest art fair, and over its 20-year history it has grown alongside the city’s vibrant contemporary art scene. While exhibitors come from all over the world, Zona Maco features a strong cohort of Latin American art dealers, including emerging and mid-tier figures as well as local leaders like kurimanzutto and OMR.

The artists on display are similar in scale and centered around the center of the market. Since its inception in 2002, Zona Maco has added events dedicated to design, antiques, and photography, which take place over a week of art events in the Mexican capital. The fair’s Sur section, which focuses on artists from or engaged with the Global South, is particularly noteworthy.

The world’s largest art fair dedicated to prints and editions, the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) Print Fair brings together rare pieces from art historical figures like Albrecht Dürer and the latest editions from contemporary superstars like Julie Mehretu.

Located in the historic Park Avenue Armory on the Upper East Side, the fair features publishers such as Two Palms and Mixografia as well as dealers from around the world offering works at a wide range of price points. Works on display range from affordable editions under $10,000 to technical and coveted masterpieces valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

With this range, IFPDA is an ideal fair for collectors of all levels, and the dealers who host it are experts in the field eager to educate about the art of printmaking.

Founded in 2002, the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) is a collective of contemporary art professionals. Its fairs are held in Miami Beach and New York, with a recent pop-up in Warsaw and an inaugural edition in Paris this fall.

NADA features emerging and mid-tier galleries that exhibit contemporary works by young artists and up-and-coming talents. Presentations tend to be more avant-garde and experimental than those at other fairs, and visitors can expect a broader range of materials and disciplines than just paintings and works on paper, creating an exciting and sometimes offbeat atmosphere.

With younger galleries and artists, NADA also attracts younger collectors, as well as established clients looking to spot new names in contemporary art at lower prices.

Art Dubai, the Middle East’s leading international art fair, showcases a diverse mix of modern and contemporary art. The fair also includes a unique digital section that explores new media and technologies, such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and works created using artificial intelligence.

In its nearly 20 years of existence, the fair has helped establish the growing city of Dubai as a cultural hub and connect the Middle East to the global art scene. Exhibitors include local art dealers and international veterans like Templon, who showcase works by emerging and mid-level artists, as well as blue-chip pieces by notable figures.

While showcasing an international group, Art Dubai provides an important platform for underrepresented artists from the Global South, providing an excellent opportunity to discover new artists and diversify its collection.

Founded in 2014 in Shanghai’s evolving West Bund district, West Bund Art & Design has become a major annual event showcasing modern and contemporary art and design in China.

The show brings together a diverse mix of top international exhibitors and mid-tier local galleries, offering mega-dealers like White Cube and Pace Gallery a chance to meet local collectors while introducing Chinese exhibitors to an international audience.

Prices are equally varied, with several works priced under $20,000, as well as many six-figure and blue-chip pieces. In addition to local collectors and visitors from neighboring regions, West Bund Art & Design attracts collectors, dealers, and curators from around the world. The fair is part of the Shanghai International Art Festival, which also includes the ART021 fair, which offers an equally international range of galleries and artworks.