A preview of premier art fairs in 2024

7 minutes to read

Dec 22, 2023

Artists come alive through tribulation, and the world has never felt so full of both fear and love. 2024 is a year that promises to redefine and elevate the boundaries of contemporary art on an unprecedented level, and these are the top art fairs in the world where you will be able to witness the large spectrum of the human experience, through art.

1. Art Basel, Switzerland

Art Basel © Uliana Tschan for Art de Vivre

Art Basel Switzerland is one of the most well-known and prestigious Art Fairs in the world making it one of the most popular and well-attended. Founded in 1970, it is hosted annually in Basel, Switzerland. This Art Fair showcases over 200 galleries, which, this year, included, Air de Paris, the Modern Institute, and the Taka Ishii Gallery. The fair exhibits around 5,000 artists from five different continents, Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, and Asia. Art Basel works in collaboration with the host city's local institutions to help grow and develop art programs. The next Art Basel Switzerland event will be held June 13th - 16th, 2024.

2. Fiac, International Contemporary Art Fair

This Art Fair has solidified its status as one of the world’s most exciting art fairs due to its dynamic, cosmopolitan atmosphere in which FIAC celebrates its contemporary artists. Its success is measured by the sheer size of the global audience of collectors, gallery owners, curators, and art specialists. It has been based in the well-suited, contemporary city of Paris and has been since 1974. innovative works from both established and emerging artists. This fair ran from the 9th to the 12th of November, 2023.

3. ARCOMadrid

ARCOMadrid

One of the most attended Art Fairs in the world, ARCOmadrid is Spain’s International Contemporary Art Fair. The 2024 exhibition, from the 6th - 10th of March 2024, will be the 43rd edition of ARCOmadrid, this time with artists from and inspired by the Caribbean will take centre stage. As well as this, they will present art from young galleries including Constitución, Foro.Space, HOA. To further exhibit the importance of Spain’s origins, the ‘Never the Same. Latin American Art’ section, by José Esparza Chong Cuy and Manuela Moscoso, will return as an expected popular feature once again.

4. Melbourne Art Fair

The Melbourne Art Fair, in 2020, represented over 50 prestigious galleries from Australia and New Zealand. These include the Anna Schwartz Gallery, Neon Parc, and the Yavus Gallery. It has opened every two years since 1988, attracting thousands of visitors in each edition. The 2024 event will feature solo and group exhibitions, new pieces, and contemporary performances by artists from Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. Since it opened in 1988, this Art Fair has had a main focus: to celebrate national pride and to shape the future of art in the region. This Art Fair will run from the 22nd - 25th of February.

5. Frieze New York

Frieze New York

Throughout May 2020, Frieze launched its virtual Frieze New York Art Fair in which the artists were encouraged to include prices alongside their pieces, a rare sighting in Art Fair history. The Most Expensive represented was from London’s Waddington Custot gallery ‘Untitled (Venus 2000 B. C.)’ (1982) for $5.5 million. Among the other top prices listed was a Keith Haring from 1982, priced at 3.2 million. The fair returns in 2024, between May the 1st and the 5th, for its 3rd edition with an in-person exhibition in Manhattan.

As the doors open to these transformative gatherings, art enthusiasts, collectors, and curators alike are invited to witness the convergence of tradition and innovation, heritage and experimentation. The coming year promises to be a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the art world, as it continues to inspire, challenge and push the boundaries of creative expression.

Credits for the Main photo: © Frieze New York.