Mark Your Calendars: The Grand Tourist 2026 Guide to Art and Design Fairs
A great design or art fair sets the tone for the year, defines the conversations, and points to where taste is headed. These are the fairs defining 2026. Save the dates.
December 17, 2025By
VASILISA IOUKHNOVETS
M&O Designer of the Year Harry Nuriev. Photo: Copyright Daniel Roché. Courtesy Maison&Objet
Welcome to The Curator, a newsletter companion to The Grand Tourist with Dan Rubinstein podcast. Sign up to get added to the list. Have news to share? Reach us at hello@thegrandtourist.net.
Maison&Objet / Paris Design Week; Paris, France January15-19 Held twice a year in Villepinte, this fair is one of the design world’s leading trade shows for interiors. This winter’s edition features an immersive installation by founder of Crosby Studios Harry Nuriev, awarded its 2026 Designer of the Year. The trade fair coincides with Paris Déco Off (Jan. 14-17) which sees over 150 of the world’s tastemaking furniture, textile, and wallpaper houses open the doors to their showrooms in the heart of Paris. maison-objet.com
The M7 museum and cultural center in Doha where Art Basel Qatar will take place. Photo: Courtesy Art Basel
Art Basel Qatar; Doha, Qatar February 5-7 Art Basel’s fifth and newest show extends the fair’s global footprint into the Gulf. With a total of 87 galleries, it spotlight galleries and artists from the Middle East alongside an international roster. A unique Special Projects program will feature nine large-scale sculptures, installations, and performances.artbasel.com
NOMAD; St. Moritz, Switzerland February 12-15 The roving design fair NOMAD brings a mix of collectible design and art to architecturally interesting venues like alpine retreats and historic villas. Each edition is intentionally small, with galleries staging one-off presentations that feel more like salons than stands. This new year, the fair makes its first stop in its flagship location, where it will be hosted against panoramic views in the renovated Villa Beaulieu. nomad-circle.com
Almeida Dale’s booth at Frieze Los Angeles last year. Photo: Casey Kelbaugh. Courtesy of Frieze and CKA
Frieze Los Angeles; Los Angeles, USA February 26-March 1 The seventh edition of Frieze Los Angeles returns to the Santa Monica Airport, remaining a major place of exchange between artists, galleries, and collectors. This year, the art fair gathers almost 100 galleries, including many of the world’s leading blue-chip players alongside standout L.A. galleries like Commonwealth and Council, Anat Ebgi, and Roberts Projects. frieze.com
Matter and Shape in Paris’ Jardin de Tuileries. Photo: Courtesy Matter and Shape
Matter and Shape; Paris, France March 6-9 The young design fair Matter and Shape has become a red-hot new stop on the Paris Fashion Week circuit. The showcase returns to the Jardin de Tuileries for the third year, bringing together work from global outfits big and small. Last year, Flos hosted conversations on lighting design and designers like India Mahdavi showcased rooms of new work. matterandshape.com
Last year’s Collectible fair. Photo: Michele Margot. Courtesy Collectible
Collectible; Brussels, Belgium March 12-15 This fair gathers carefully curated furniture, lighting, and objects from around the world—all unique pieces, commissions, or limited editions, and often debuts. After seven years, the Belgian fair has made a reputation spotlighting fresh, unique, and ever-inventive designers, galleries, and ideas. Plus, its New York edition, launched in 2024, has proven to hold its own in a jam-packed city. collectible.design
Last year, TEFAF Maastricht held a special exhibition of Italian masterpieces, Photo: Loraine Bodewes. Courtesy TEFAF
TEFAF Maastricht; Maastricht, Netherlands March 14-19 TEFAF Maastricht remains one of the world’s most respected fairs for fine art, antiques, and design, featuring everything from Old Masters to contemporary icons. Each spring, the fair’s unique breadth and rigorous vetting draws collectors, curators, and decorators to the Dutch city. tefaf.com
Last year’s Art Basel Hong Kong. Photo: Courtesy Art Basel
Art Basel Hong Kong; Hong Kong, China March 27-29 Art Basel Hong Kong brings together leading galleries from Asia and beyond under one roof, showcasing the region’s diverse contemporary art scene alongside blue-chip Western names. This year, a new sector named “Echoes” will spotlight work made in the last five years, showing current trends and emerging artists. artbasel.com
A booth at EXPO CHICAGO last year. Photo: Lucy Hewett/CKA. Courtesy EXPO CHICAGO
Expo Chicago; Chicago April 9-12 Now a part of the Frieze family of fairs, Expo Chicago brings a strong roster of established blue-chip galleries and younger spaces to Navy Pier, with a concentration on modern and contemporary art from around the world. The fair highlights the city’s artists and puts Chicago on the map as an international art fair destination. expochicago.com
Stems Gallery presented work by Canadian artist Jannick Deslauriers in 2025. Photo: Nicola Gnesi studio
miart; Milan, Italy April 17-19 Italy’s modern and contemporary art fair, miart, celebrates its 30th edition in the new year. The cornerstone of Milan Art Week, the fair sits at the crossroads of art and design, with a strong showing in 20th-century Italian work. This year’s theme, reflecting a changing art landscape, is devoted to experimentation and new horizons with a new layout and experimental sections. miart.it
Renderings of this year’s debut Salone Raritas. Photo: Copyright Formafantasma. Courtesy Salone del Mobile
Salone del Mobile Milano / Milan Design Week; Milan, Italy April 21-26 The world’s most important design fair returns to Milan for its 63rd edition, bringing together leading furniture and lighting brands, experimental installations, and the citywide Fuorisalone. This year, the fair responds to an uncertain international market with the introduction of Salone Raritas, a project aiming to connect unique design pieces with the professional design market of architects, interior designers, and developers. salonemilano.it
Architect Elizabeth Diller of Diller Scofidio + Renfro speaks at The World Around Summit last year. Photo: The World Around Summit
The World Around Summit; New York May 9 The World Around’s annual summit convenes architects, designers, and artists for presentations on the most urgent ideas shaping our built environment. It celebrates the standout and avant-garde projects and concepts in architecture and design from the past year. Expect an inspiring day of talk. Tickets are open to all. theworldaround.org
Anton Kern at Frieze New York 2025. Photo: Courtesy Frieze
Frieze NY; New York May 13-17 Frieze New York gathers around 70 leading contemporary galleries at The Shed in Hudson Yards, with a strong showing from global names and younger galleries. This fair is the tone-setter for institutions in a crowded May week. frieze.com
TEFAF New York 2025. Photo: Courtesy TEFAF
TEFAF New York; New York May 15-19 TEFAF New York brings centuries of art history to the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan. The U.S. counterpart to the European fair, it offers a smaller and more intimate format. tefaf.com
International Contemporary Furniture Fair; New York May 17-19 The International Contemporary Furniture Fair is New York’s key meeting place for contemporary and contract design. Since 1989, brands have presented new collections in furniture, lighting, and materials to an audience of manufacturers, architects, and developers at the Javits Center. It’s the more commercial counterpoint to New York’s many design happenings. icff.com
A commission by Katharina Grosse for Art Basel 2025, called CHOIR. Photo: Courtesy Art Basel
Art Basel; Basel, Switzerland June 19-21 The original Art Basel remains the art world’s most influential fair, with the world’s top galleries presenting everything from museum-quality modern masterpieces to cutting-edge contemporary work. Its curated sectors, large-scale installations, and citywide programming make Basel an annual summit for the international artworld. artbasel.com
NOMAD; The Hamptons, USA June 26-28 NOMAD comes to the U.S. for the first time with a Hamptons edition. The roving showcase brings its mix and art to the Watermill Center, an institution founded by the late theater director Robert Wilson. nomad-circle.com