Informa Acquires Independent Art Fair Organizer

(MENAFN- USA Art News) London-based conglomerate Informa has acquired Independent, the organization behind two annual art fairs in New York. The sale concluded last year, meaning both of the 2026 fairs were held under Informa's ownership. Independent organizes a spring fair dedicated to contemporary art and a fall fair focused on 20th-century art.

Elizabeth Dee, Independent's founder and creative director, confirmed in an email to ARTnews that she will remain in her role and continue to oversee both events. Dee stated,“Independent's future is bright. With Informa as our partner, Independent is redefining what an art fair can be with the spirit of a museum exhibition and the energy of a marketplace.” She also informed exhibitors of the acquisition on Friday afternoon, noting,“On the eve of the milestone 20th anniversary of Independent, we decided that the timing was right to find a partner to support Independent's continued growth while remaining true to our mission.” Dee added,“We trust that the achievements of Independent in May and Independent 20th Century in September, both realized as part of Informa, speak for themselves and make evident our steadfast commitment to the high quality of the exhibitions.”

Established in 1998 and headquartered in London, Informa is a publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group. It organizes trade shows globally across diverse sectors, including comic books, aviation, cosmetics, health and wellness, food and hospitality, pharmaceuticals, jewelry, fashion, ceramics, computer security, tech, energy, and boats. Informa's report for the first half of 2026 showed $2.7 billion in revenue and an adjusted operating profit of $723.7 million. Major shareholders include BlackRock, Newton Investment Management, Lazard Asset Management, Norges Bank, Artemis Investment Manager, and Invesco. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the FTSE 100 Index, employing 14,000 people in approximately 42 countries.

The acquisition of Independent marks Informa's initial foray into New York–based art brands. Other notable ventures by Informa include the Monaco Yacht Show and Cannes Lions. Informa also owns South Florida Ventures, which operates art fairs such as Untitled Art, Art Miami, and Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary; however, Independent will operate separately from this division.

Independent, cofounded in 2010 by Dee and Matthew Higgs, director of White Columns, launched in a former Dia Center for the Arts warehouse in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. Higgs continues to serve as curatorial adviser. The fair is recognized for its unique layout, which prioritizes visitor flow over traditional booth structures. Early press materials emphasized this distinction, using terms like“collective,”“consortium,” and“hybrid model and temporary exhibition forum” instead of“art fair,” as reported by the New York Times. Nonprofits exhibited alongside dealers, a combination that has since become standard at many such events. After five iterations at the former Dia building, Independent moved to Spring Studios in Tribeca in 2016. During this period, it also had a brief international presence with Independent Brussels, which ran from 2016 to 2018 at the Espace Vanderborght department store.

In 2022, Dee, Higgs, and Sofie Scheerlinck, formerly of the TEFAF fair, launched Independent 20th Century. This venture aimed to focus on art from 1900 to 2000, with the reported goal of diversifying the art historical canon. It was held for four years at the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan before its fifth edition last week at the Breuer building, now owned by Sotheby's. This year, the original Independent fair also relocated to Pier 36 on the Lower East Side, significantly increasing its size. At its new venue, it garnered attention for featuring fashions by Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo in her first solo art fair presentation. The move to the Breuer building also drew notice, as Sotheby's acquired the Brutalist structure in 2023 and partnered with the fair. The new location allowed the fair to expand from 31 exhibitors at its previous downtown edition to 57 exhibitors. ARTnews noted in its report on the 2026 fair that,“Despite nearly doubling in size, the fair remains viewer friendly.”

Dee concluded her email to exhibitors by stating,“Both Independent and Informa remain committed to Independent's creative and curatorial autonomy under the leadership of our team. We fully intend to shepherd and grow the organization as an outstanding curated platform for modern and contemporary art, as we always have done. We are confident that this will provide new opportunities for Independent and for our participating galleries.”

We previously reported:

The fifth Independent 20th Century art fair opened on September 24 at the Breuer Building, now owned by Sotheby's, showcasing overlooked modern artists.

Source: ARTnews

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