Independent, which organizes two art fairs in New York each year—one devoted to contemporary art in the spring and the other 20th-century art in the fall—has been acquired by London-based conglomerate Informa. The sale was completed last year, meaning that both 2026 fairs were completed under Informa’s ownership.
“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,” Independent founder and creative director Elizabeth Dee told ARTnews in an email. She confirmed that she will stay on in her current role and continue overseeing both fairs.
Formed in 1998 and headquartered in London, Informa is a publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group that organizes trade shows worldwide in various industries, including comic books, aviation, cosmetics, health and wellness, food and hospitality, pharmaceuticals, jewelry, fashion, ceramics, computer security, tech, energy, and boats.
Informa’s report on the first half of 2026 indicated $2.7 billion in revenue and an adjusted operating profit of $723.7 million. Among its major shareholders are BlackRock, Newton Investment Management, Lazard Asset Management, Norges Bank, Artemis Investment Manager, and Invesco. Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the FTSE 100 Index. Its 14,000 employees are spread over some 42 countries.
The acquisition of Independent marks the company’s first New York–based art brand. Informa’s other notable ventures include the Monaco Yacht Show and Cannes Lions. Also under the Informa umbrella is South Florida Ventures, the operator of art fairs like Untitled Art, Art Miami, and Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary; Independent will remain separate from South Florida Ventures.
Independent 20th Century had its 2026 edition last week at the Breuer building, now owned by Sotheby’s.
Photo Stefan Ruiz/Courtesy Sotheby’s
Independent informed exhibitors of the news on Friday afternoon, with Dee writing, “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. 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.”
One of the art world’s best-respected fairs, Independent launched in 2010 at a former warehouse in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood that was previously home to the Dia Center for the Arts. It was cofounded by Dee, at the time a New York gallerist, along with White Columns director Matthew Higgs, who continues to serve as curatorial adviser. Independent has become known for its distinctive layout, which emphasized flow over the boxy booths that typify these commercial trade shows.
Independent also sought to distinguish itself from its competitors. Press materials for the inaugural edition set the tone, not calling it an art fair, instead opting for terms like collective, consortium, and “hybrid model and temporary exhibition forum,” as the New York Times noted. Nonprofits exhibited alongside dealers, noted the paper; that combination has since become de rigueur at many such events.
Independent staged its first five iterations at the former Dia building before moving to Spring Studios in Tribeca in 2016. Around this time, it also briefly went international, running Independent Brussels from 2016–18 at former department store Espace Vanderborght.
Elizabeth Dee, at the Breuer building.
Photo Leandro Justen/Courtesy Independent
In 2022, the company launched Independent 20th Century, conceived by Dee, Higgs, and Sofie Scheerlink, formerly of the TEFAF fair, to focus on art from 1900 to 2000. The new venture, ARTnews reported at the time, had “the stated aim of revising the canon to create a more diverse picture of art history.” It took place for four years at the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan, before moving to the Breuer building for its fifth edition last week.
This year, also saw the original Independent fair move to Pier 36 on the Lower East Side, more than doubling its size. At its new venue, it made headlines for including fashions by Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo in what was her first-ever solo art fair presentation. The move to the Breuer building also made headlines, as the Brutalist masterpiece had been acquired by Sotheby’s in 2023, and the auctioneer joined as a “partner” for the fair. The new venue allowed the fair to expand considerably, to 57 exhibitors, up from 31 at its previous downtown edition. In its report on the 2026 fair, ARTnews wrote, “Despite nearly doubling in size, the fair remains viewer friendly.”
“Both Independent and Informa remain committed to Independent’s creative and curatorial autonomy under the leadership of our team,” Dee concluded her email to exhibitors. “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.”
