Informa acquired Independent last year, bringing the New York art fair under the London-based events group before either of its 2026 editions took place. Founder and creative director Elizabeth Dee will remain in her role, and Independent says it will retain creative and curatorial autonomy. The deal gives Informa its first New York-based art brand while keeping Independent separate from the group’s South Florida Ventures fairs.
A sale completed before the 2026 fairs
Independent organizes two New York fairs each year: a spring edition focused on contemporary art and a fall fair devoted to 20th-century work. Both 2026 events were held under Informa ownership. The acquisition’s terms and exact completion date were not disclosed in the source material.
Dee told ARTnews that she would continue overseeing both fairs. In a message to exhibitors, she linked the choice of a partner to the organization’s approaching 20th anniversary and its desire to grow while maintaining its mission. Her continued leadership is a stated part of the ownership announcement, rather than a change in the fair’s public-facing direction.
Independent remains distinct within the group
Informa, formed in 1998 and headquartered in London, works across publishing, business intelligence and exhibitions. Its events span industries including aviation, fashion, food and hospitality, technology and energy. The company also runs the Monaco Yacht Show and Cannes Lions, placing Independent within a broad international events portfolio.
Informa’s first-half 2026 report recorded revenue of $2.7 billion and adjusted operating profit of $723.7 million. The group has 14,000 employees across about 42 countries and is listed on the London Stock Exchange as a FTSE 100 company. Those figures give scale to the new parent, but the announcement does not specify how the acquisition will affect Independent’s budget or operations.
Separate from South Florida Ventures
Informa also owns South Florida Ventures, which operates Untitled Art, Art Miami and Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary. Independent will remain separate from that business, according to the acquisition account. The distinction matters because the group now holds several art-fair interests, while the ownership announcement presents Independent as its own platform rather than an addition to the South Florida operator.
That separation sits alongside Informa’s claim to support specialists through experience-led events, trade and innovation. For Independent, the immediate continuity is more concrete: Dee remains at the helm, and the two New York fairs have already taken place under the new owner. No additional operating structure or financial terms were provided.
A fair built around exhibition-making
Independent began in 2010 in a former warehouse in Chelsea that had housed the Dia Center for the Arts. Dee cofounded it with Matthew Higgs, director of White Columns, who continues as curatorial adviser. The fair developed a layout built around visitor flow rather than the conventional grid of enclosed dealer booths, helping distinguish its presentation from standard trade-show formats.
From its first edition, Independent also placed nonprofit organisations alongside commercial galleries. It held its first five editions in the former Dia building, moved to Spring Studios in Tribeca in 2016, and briefly operated Independent Brussels from 2016 to 2018. These choices form part of the fair’s history; the acquisition announcement does not indicate that its curatorial approach will be replaced.
Expansion across two New York venues
Independent 20th Century launched in 2022, conceived by Dee, Higgs and Sofie Scheerlinck, formerly of TEFAF. Its focus is art made between 1900 and 2000. After four years at the Battery Maritime Building, its fifth edition moved to the Breuer building, while the contemporary-art fair relocated to Pier 36 on the Lower East Side in 2026.
The Breuer edition expanded to 57 exhibitors from 31 at the previous downtown presentation. Independent’s spring fair more than doubled in size at Pier 36 and included a solo art-fair presentation of fashion by Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo. The expansion demonstrates the scale of the fairs during their first year under Informa; the source provides no further forecast for future editions.
Takeaway: Informa owns Independent, but Dee remains its leader and the fair’s creative and curatorial autonomy is intended to continue.
What this piece draws on
- chicagogallerynews.com — “Chicago Gallery News | EXPO CHICAGO To Be Acquired by Global Art Fair Platform Frieze”
- independenthq.com — “Home – Independent Art Fair”
- Affordable Art Fair — “About us”
- theannarborartfair.com — “Ann Arbor Art Fair”
