Unbiased, which organizes two artwork gala’s in New York annually—one dedicated to modern artwork within the spring and the opposite Twentieth-century artwork within the fall—has been acquired by London-based conglomerate Informa. The sale was accomplished final yr, that means that each 2026 gala’s had been accomplished underneath Informa’s possession.
“Unbiased’s future is vibrant. With Informa as our associate, Unbiased is redefining what an artwork truthful will be with the spirit of a museum exhibition and the power of a market,” Unbiased founder and inventive director Elizabeth Dee informed ARTnews in an e-mail. She confirmed that she’s going to keep on in her present position and proceed overseeing each gala’s.
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Shaped in 1998 and headquartered in London, Informa is a publishing, enterprise intelligence, and exhibitions group that organizes commerce exhibits worldwide in varied industries, together with comedian books, aviation, cosmetics, well being and wellness, meals and hospitality, prescription drugs, jewellery, vogue, ceramics, pc safety, tech, power, and boats.
Informa’s report on the primary half of 2026 indicated $2.7 billion in income and an adjusted working revenue of $723.7 million. Amongst its main shareholders are BlackRock, Newton Funding Administration, Lazard Asset Administration, Norges Financial institution, Artemis Funding Supervisor, and Invesco. Informa is listed on the London Inventory Alternate and is a part of the FTSE 100 Index. Its 14,000 staff are unfold over some 42 international locations.
The acquisition of Unbiased marks the corporate’s first New York–based mostly artwork model. Informa’s different notable ventures embody the Monaco Yacht Present and Cannes Lions. Additionally underneath the Informa umbrella is South Florida Ventures, the operator of artwork gala’s like Untitled Artwork, Artwork Miami, and Palm Seashore Fashionable and Modern; Unbiased will stay separate from South Florida Ventures.
Unbiased Twentieth Century had its 2026 version final week on the Breuer constructing, now owned by Sotheby’s.
Picture Stefan Ruiz/Courtesy Sotheby’s
Unbiased knowledgeable exhibitors of the information on Friday afternoon, with Dee writing, “On the eve of the milestone Twentieth anniversary of Unbiased, we determined that the timing was proper to discover a associate to help Unbiased’s continued progress whereas remaining true to our mission. We belief that the achievements of Unbiased in Could and Unbiased Twentieth Century in September—each realized as a part of Informa—converse for themselves and make evident our steadfast dedication to the prime quality of the exhibitions.”
One of many artwork world’s best-respected gala’s, Unbiased launched in 2010 at a former warehouse in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood that was beforehand house to the Dia Middle for the Arts. It was cofounded by Dee, on the time a New York gallerist, together with White Columns director Matthew Higgs, who continues to function curatorial adviser. Unbiased has grow to be recognized for its distinctive format, which emphasised circulation over the boxy cubicles that typify these industrial commerce exhibits.
Unbiased additionally sought to differentiate itself from its opponents. Press supplies for the inaugural version set the tone, not calling it an artwork truthful, as an alternative choosing phrases like collective, consortium, and “hybrid mannequin and non permanent exhibition discussion board,” because the New York Instances famous. Nonprofits exhibited alongside sellers, famous the paper; that mixture has since grow to be de rigueur at many such occasions.
Unbiased staged its first 5 iterations on the former Dia constructing earlier than transferring to Spring Studios in Tribeca in 2016. Round this time, it additionally briefly went worldwide, working Unbiased Brussels from 2016–18 at former division retailer Espace Vanderborght.
Elizabeth Dee, on the Breuer constructing.
Picture Leandro Justen/Courtesy Unbiased
In 2022, the corporate launched Unbiased Twentieth Century, conceived by Dee, Higgs, and Sofie Scheerlinck, previously of the TEFAF truthful, to deal with artwork from 1900 to 2000. The brand new enterprise, ARTnews reported on the time, had “the said purpose of revising the canon to create a extra numerous image of artwork historical past.” It came about for 4 years on the Battery Maritime Constructing in Decrease Manhattan, earlier than transferring to the Breuer constructing for its fifth version final week.
This yr, additionally noticed the unique Unbiased truthful transfer to Pier 36 on the Decrease East Facet, greater than doubling its measurement. At its new venue, it made headlines for together with fashions by Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo in what was her first-ever solo artwork truthful presentation. The transfer to the Breuer constructing additionally made headlines, because the Brutalist masterpiece had been acquired by Sotheby’s in 2023, and the auctioneer joined as a “associate” for the truthful. The brand new venue allowed the truthful to develop significantly, to 57 exhibitors, up from 31 at its earlier downtown version. In its report on the 2026 truthful, ARTnews wrote, “Regardless of almost doubling in measurement, the truthful stays viewer pleasant.”
“Each Unbiased and Informa stay dedicated to Unbiased’s inventive and curatorial autonomy underneath the management of our crew,” Dee concluded her e-mail to exhibitors. “We absolutely intend to shepherd and develop the group as an excellent curated platform for contemporary and modern artwork, as we at all times have achieved. We’re assured that it will present new alternatives for Unbiased and for our collaborating galleries.”
