What the ADAA's New Fair Says About How Collectors Buy Art

Last updated: 1 November 2026

In short: The Art Dealers Association of America has replaced its long-running Art Show with the ADAA Fair, at the Park Avenue Armory in mid-November 2026. Executive director Kinsey Robb says the aim is “a fair galleries want to return to,” and the association calls it “a new era.” A reshuffle is not a verdict on the market, but it is a fair moment to ask what a room full of art is for, and what a collector wants to find there.

What did the ADAA change?

The Art Dealers Association of America announced in a December 2025 release that it would replace The Art Show, its long-running fair at the Park Avenue Armory, with a new ADAA Fair. The release says the association's partnership on The Art Show, whose proceeds went to Henry Street Settlement, has ended. Mary Ryan, chair of the ADAA Fair Committee, says the new fair “provides an opportunity to highlight the extraordinary work of our member galleries.” Executive director Kinsey Robb calls it “a new era for the ADAA,” one “rooted in our mission and responsive to the cultural needs of our time.”

The Art Newspaper reported on 27 July 2026 (Carlie Porterfield) that the fair returns after a one-year pause with 63 exhibitors, about a dozen fewer than the previous edition, including a dozen first-time exhibitors. The ADAA's release gives the dates as 12 to 16 November 2026; The Art Newspaper gives public days of 13 to 16 November.

Does a rebuilt fair mean collectors want something different?

Nobody can read a verdict into a reshuffle, and the ADAA does not claim one. Its stated aim is about purpose: Robb is quoted saying, “We're building a fair galleries want to return to, not simply a fair that has to happen to be larger and larger,” and that the goal is to “create events that deliver value rather than scale for scale's sake.”

Collector habits are shifting at the edges of the fair too. In Hyperallergic's September 2025 report on art-fair season, the gallerist Nicelle Beauchene says the market is “heavier with art advisors,” and Cierra Britton, who runs a nomadic New York gallery, describes relationships that begin with an “initial organic connection.” Different rooms, the same hunger for a first real contact.

What stays constant when the room changes?

The room is a venue: a booth, an adviser's office, a studio, a screen. What a collector seems to want from any of them is a real look at the work and someone who can answer for it. Galleries, fairs and advisers do work a studio does not, and many collectors use all of them. This is only a description of the studio route, which puts the conversation first.

How does a collector work with a painter directly?

A commission starts with a conversation about the wall: its light, its scale, the color you keep reaching for. A deposit secures the slot, I paint two finished options at once so the choice is between real paintings, and there are two rounds of revisions, about four weeks from deposit to delivery depending on the studio schedule. If something ready-made fits, roughly fifty original paintings are available to ship at any given time, and I send multiple pre-ship videos of every finished work. A painting ships rolled to a framer near you, is stretched on arrival and is hand-delivered ready to hang.

What should a collector ask in any room?

Three questions travel well. Who made this, and can they tell me how it was built? What will I see in a different light? And what happens after the sale: the framing, the shipping, the hanging? A fair, an adviser and a studio can all answer them. The answers are worth comparing.

Browse available originals, read how a commission works, see the hospitality and commercial work, and learn how the Trade Program works for designers.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ADAA Fair?

The ADAA Fair is the Art Dealers Association of America's new fair at the Park Avenue Armory, replacing its long-running Art Show. The ADAA's 2025 release describes it as a showcase for member galleries, and The Art Newspaper reports 63 exhibitors for 2026.

When is the ADAA Fair 2026?

The ADAA's release gives November 12 to 16, 2026, at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. The Art Newspaper lists public days as November 13 to 16. Check the fair's own site for tickets and hours before you go.

Can you buy original art directly from the artist?

Yes. A painter who sells direct can explain how the surface was built, send videos of the finished work and begin a commission with a conversation. This studio sends multiple pre-ship videos of every finished work and ships rolled to a framer local to the client.

Do collectors still buy through galleries and advisers?

Yes. In Hyperallergic's 2025 report, the gallerist Nicelle Beauchene says the market is “heavier with art advisors,” and collector Melissa Neumann told Artnet that she most frequently buys through galleries. Many collectors use several routes at once.

What Does the ADAA's Rebuilt Fair Say About How Collectors Meet Art?