Observer’s January Art Fair Calendar

The calendar has already flipped to 2026, ushering in a fresh year of creative potential for artists, collectors, dealers and institutions. The most anticipated exhibitions of 2026 are already taking shape, promising new thrills and revelations. Gallerists, meanwhile, are savoring a brief respite between the high-octane frenzy of Art Basel Miami Beach and the whirlwind of shows yet to come. And after the wave of viral hits at Zero 10—Beeple’s Everyday Animals among them—we’re all on tenterhooks waiting for the next big thing in new media.

As usual, the January art fair calendar wastes no time getting started. Este Arte kicked off in Uruguay just days after New Year’s, and then motivated collectors might head to Los Angeles (though there’s something to be said for taking a break before the long trip to Singapore for ART SG and S.E.A. Focus, which coincide with Singapore Art Week). Then, of course, there are the art fairs in London, Palm Beach and New York worth checking out before everyone heads back across the Atlantic for several more European art fairs.

All that said, for the truly dedicated art enthusiast, this month’s art fair calendar demands a certain degree of wanderlust—continent-hopping included. But the rewards are bound to be worth the miles, so here’s what’s on:

Este Arte 2026

January 4-7

Este Arte was established in 2015 by Uruguayan curator Laura Bardier to create a high-quality and exclusive platform for contemporary art in the region. Many participants come from Argentina, Brazil and Chile, but the roster of attendees also typically includes galleries from the U.S. and Europe—the fair emphasizes a balance between local Latin American artists and international artists, providing a dialogue between regional art scenes and global trends. Now in its 12th edition, this art fair distinguishes itself by asking exhibitors, whether galleries or cultural institutions, to mount only single-artist displays featuring never-before-exhibited works. Some participants create exhibitions in miniature, while others may show a handful of pieces or even just a single work. The only exception is made for deceased or inactive artists, whose work may be shown if it is of particular historical relevance. In other words, “Only the unseen, one artist at a time.”

LA Art Show 2026

January 7-11

As Los Angeles continues to assert itself as a global art capital shaped by layered histories and deeply intertwined cultural communities, the LA Art Show—now in its 31st edition—positions itself as a broad-spectrum survey of how contemporary art is made, shown and collected right now. Framed as the most comprehensive international contemporary art fair in the U.S., the event brings together more than 90 galleries, museums and nonprofit organizations from around the world to showcase paintings, sculpture, works on paper, installation, photography, design, video and performance in more than 180,000 square feet of exhibition space. Its scale is matched by an emphasis on curatorial ambition, with participating galleries extending beyond standard booths to present special exhibitions that reflect current directions in the contemporary market rather than simply rehearse greatest hits. The LA Art Show’s strength lies in its range and context: a city whose multicultural fabric naturally resists a single narrative and a collecting base that continues to expand in both sophistication and appetite. This year, actress, producer, author and entrepreneur Sasha Pieterse will serve as the celebrity host for the fair’s Opening Night Premiere Party, and the fair will debut an invitation-only Latin American Pavilion.

Condo London 2026

January 17 – February 14

In the labyrinthine art scene of the U.K., the distributed art fair Condo London offers collectors and art lovers a blueprint for discovery. More specifically, it’s a collaborative exhibition mounted by 50 galleries across 23 London spaces—labyrinthine, yes, but also manageable. How does it work? Each host gallery either co-curates with a visiting gallery or thoughtfully divides its spaces, giving the visiting gallery square footage in which to mount its own display. Hit the preview weekend for an immersive initiation into this month-long cultural odyssey, which spans the city’s eclectic neighborhoods, from the central elegance of Arcadia Missa in Duke Street to the eastern avant-garde of The Approach on Approach Road.

Miami Modern + Contemporary 2026

January 21-25

An early-season counterweight to December’s frenzy, MM+C is a new international fair presented by Art Miami that’s making a calculated play for collectors who tend to arrive late to Florida or skip December Art Week altogether, extending Miami’s market gravity into January. Set on Herald Plaza overlooking Biscayne Bay inside the spacious CONTEXT Art Miami Pavilion, the inaugural five-day edition is co-directed by nick korniloff and Julian Navarro and brings together more than 70 international galleries spanning blue chip contemporary, postwar and modern material alongside emerging and mid-career artists. The fair’s marketing leans heavily on timing and logistics: by positioning itself as a de facto kickoff fair for the new year, it allows galleries to build on December momentum while keeping inventory already in the U.S. and in Miami, sidestepping the escalating costs and friction of transatlantic shipping. The result is a pragmatic addition to the global fair circuit that acknowledges how dealers actually operate, offers collectors a quieter and more focused window to engage with work and subtly reframes January as an active market moment rather than a post-holiday lull.

FOG Design+Art 2026

January 21-25

FOG Design+Art—which has become a measured but influential fixture on San Francisco’s cultural calendar—is returning to the Fort Mason Center with a tightly edited roster of more than 60 international galleries (with 15 participating for the first time). The fair’s appeal lies in its calibrated scope rather than sheer scale, pairing a global exhibitor base with an expanded presentation of FOG FOCUS, a dedicated pier highlighting artists in earlier stages of their careers and offering works at more accessible price points without diluting curatorial intent. Under the leadership of inaugural director Sydney Blumenkranz, the fair sharpens its identity as both a marketplace and a platform, complemented by the return of FOG Talks, a curated speaking series that frames collecting, design and visual culture as active conversations rather than fixed expertise. Add to this FOG MRKT, a dynamic entryway installation spotlighting artists, designers and makers across disciplines, and the result is a fair that resists stasis.

London Art Fair 2026

January 22-25

London Art Fair has been a mainstay of the U.K.’s art calendar for 38 years, offering collectors, curators and casual art enthusiasts an annual deep dive into the best of modern and contemporary art. As always, it brings together a tightly curated selection of leading modern and contemporary galleries from the U.K. and abroad. Long valued by collectors for its balance of discovery and confidence, the fair continues to function as a practical entry point into the year’s market, a place to encounter new work, reinforce relationships and make considered acquisitions early in the season. This year’s Museum Partner, the National Trust, introduces a distinct curatorial lens by presenting surrealist and post-war abstract works drawn from two modernist London homes: 2 Willow Road, designed by Ernő Goldfinger, and The Homewood, home of architect Patrick Gwynne, foregrounding how modernist experimentation unfolded within lived domestic spaces. Curated by art historian Dr. Ferren Gipson, the 2026 edition of Platform, “The Unexpected,” sharpens the fair’s experimental edge by focusing on artists who push material and process beyond conventional frameworks, while Encounters expands London Art Fair’s international reach with emerging galleries from Mexico, Turkey, Japan and France, injecting new perspectives into the local market.

NAARDEN The Art Fair 2026

January 22-25

In the charming historic town of Naarden in the Netherlands, the 28th edition of NAARDEN The Art Fair (known until recently as “Kunst & Antiek Weekend”) will once again transform the fortified Grote Kerk into a vibrant art hub writ small, where artists, dealers and collectors come together in shared appreciation. More than 60 galleries will present a curated selection of classic and contemporary artworks, ranging from paintings and sculptures to photography and mixed-media pieces, along with the best in jewelry and design. This year, visitors will no doubt notice that many of the works on display reflect sea or sky and are otherwise rendered in cerulean, navy, cobalt and indigo in keeping with the 2026 theme, “Blue is the colour.”

ART SG 2026

January 23-25

In 2024, Magnus Renfrew, co-founder of ART SG and founder of The Art Assembly (the organization behind ART SG and a broader portfolio of fairs in the region that also includes Taipei Dangdai and Tokyo Gendai), told Observer that “logic dictates that an area of that scale deserves one major international art fair, especially once we consider that it’s today home to many of the fastest growing economies in the world. I think that the rise of the fair will be part of a broader Southeast Asia and Singapore rising story.” This year, ART SG brings together 106 galleries from more than 30 countries and territories with programming that privileges context and experimentation, sharpening its curatorial ambitions in ways that reflect Singapore’s growing pull as an Indo-Pacific cultural hub. (We’re looking forward to the debut of a dedicated Performance Art sector curated by X-Zhu Nowell of Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum.) Institutional collaboration plays a more visible role this year, notably through the latest iteration of Wan Hai Hotel: Singapore Strait, which extends Rockbund’s itinerant exhibition model into Singapore by transforming The Warehouse Hotel lobby into an immersive, hospitality-inflected exhibition exploring maritime identity and archipelagic thinking across Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific.

S.E.A. Focus 2026

January 23-25

This year’s S.E.A. Focus in Singapore will be mounted for the first time in Sands Expo & Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands—a move that could amplify its visibility. Curated by John Z.W. Tung, this 2026 edition of the art fair will be organized around the theme The Humane Agency; artists from across the region will show work that responds to contemporary instability without defaulting to spectacle or didacticism. Rather than treating shifting borders, climate precarity or questions of belonging as abstract conditions to be illustrated, the exhibition foregrounds artistic agency as a quiet but deliberate form of engagement, emphasizing material choices, gestures and images that register care, responsibility and ethical presence. Though positioned within ART SG, S.E.A. Focus retains its distinct curatorial identity and maintains its commitment to exploring how artists in Southeast Asia are shaping cultural response in unsettled times.

art3f Paris 2026

January 23-25

art3f art fairs, held in several European cities throughout the year, cut through the noise with a warmth and accessibility that’s refreshing. The January edition in the heart of Paris unapologetically shuns the stuffy pretense of many fairs and instead cultivates an atmosphere where emerging talents mingle with established names in a space that feels more like an art event than a commercial event. With a mix of paintings, sculptures and photographs curated by a selection committee, art3f Paris offers fairgoers what they don’t always get: a human touch, direct exchanges with artists and fun. Its vernissage, with every exhibitor hosting their own opening at each booth, transforms the fair’s Friday launch into an egalitarian gala where conversations flow as freely as the drinks. Did we mention the bar? It, plus live music, keeps the vibe convivial and lighthearted. As art3f puts it, “Because life goes on and optimism takes back its rights, because you have to be positive, drink, eat, have fun, marvel, art is an excellent remedy!”

The Winter Show 2026

January 23 – February 1

Showcasing 5,000 years of art and design in New York City’s historic Park Avenue Armory, The Winter Show returns for its seventy-first edition with the best in art, antiques and design, plus thoughtfully curated panel discussions and exhibitor talks. This is one of the oldest and most distinguished fairs in the city, offering a quintessentially sumptuous Upper East Side experience, and it sets itself apart with an encyclopedic range, spanning everything from Roman glass and Chinese ceramics to modern and contemporary American art and furniture. But beyond the spectacle, the fair serves a greater purpose: it is owned by East Side House Settlement, which has transformed it into an annual benefit event supporting its mission to provide critical services and resources to over 14,000 residents of the Bronx and Northern Manhattan.

Art Palm Beach 2026

January 28 – February 1

Art Palm Beach is considered by many snowbirds to be a ‘midwinter must’ following the triumph of its second edition under the new leadership of Kassandra Voyagis in 2024 and a third edition that was bigger, bolder and even more curated. Visitors to the Palm Beach County Convention Center can expect a wide-ranging display of artistic disciplines, from painting and sculpture to video and fine art glass, reflecting the evolving landscape of 20th- and 21st-century art. In something of a landmark moment, the 2026 edition of the fair will debut “Sylvester Stallone: Evolution,” the first exhibition to unite six decades of the actor’s paintings in one retrospective. Get ready to do some people spotting. Famous faces at prior editions have included supermodel Lais Ribeiro, Shark Tank entrepreneur Daymond John, Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark (an artist himself, he exhibited in “Dialogos”) and artist and collector Eric Fischl. Who knows who might make an appearance in 2026!

Art Genève 2026

January 29 – February 1

Art Genève will return to Palexpo Geneva for its 15th edition with displays mounted by 80 contemporary galleries and several prominent Swiss institutions, public and private collections and nonprofit cultural organizations. Known for its intimate atmosphere and unifying spirit, this art fair founded in 2012 bills itself as being more like a classic salon: a place to cultivate relationships built on shared interests. Highlights of Art Genève include the Mobilière Prize, recognizing young Swiss talent, and the Solo-F.P. Journe Prize, awarding the best solo presentation with a work donated to a regional institution. The innovative Sur-Mesure section returns this year with unusual or monumental works, while the Music section immerses visitors in sound installations and performances that extend beyond the fair’s walls. There are also thought-provoking discussions on selected topics au courant in the contemporary art world and browsable (and buyable) selections of art books bought by some of the world’s best publishers—all beside beautiful Lake Geneva.

Even more January art fairs in 2026

As always, what’s above doesn’t represent the totality of the January art fair calendar in 2026—there are always plenty of smaller, lesser-known and niche art fairs happening (or opening for the first time) around the world. Here’s a quick roundup of several more midwinter art fairs you might want to check out this month.

Art Herning 2026 (Denmark)

January 9-11

Italian Fine Art (IFA) 2026 (Bergamo)

January 14-23

Bergamo Arte Fiera 2026

January 16-18

ceramic brussels 2026

January 22-25

THE ART FAIR kunst for alle 2026 (Aarhus, Denmark)

January 22-25

Pavilion Art Fair 2026 (Taipei)

January 22-26

Brafa Art Fair 2026 (Brussels)

January 25 – February 1