Opening night of the Winter Show in 2025. Matt Borkowski/BFA.com

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.

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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........

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