Independent Art Fair

What Independent Art Fair does

Independent Art Fair is a privately held New York-based art fair organization founded in 2010 that produces two flagship annual events: the May contemporary art fair ("Independent") and the September historical art fair ("Independent 20th Century"). The May edition features contemporary galleries and the September edition focuses on 20th century works, with the latter hosted at premium venues including the Battery Maritime Building and Sotheby's at the Breuer. The company serves participating galleries (its primary paying customers), high-net-worth art collectors, art advisors, and museums that acquire works shown at the fairs, with the Downtown Dealers podcast, editorial Features, and the NYC Art Market Report functioning as year-round community and thought-leadership programming.

The company's core technology surface is its Online Viewing Rooms (OVR) platform, which allows galleries to showcase works and collectors to browse and purchase pieces virtually, originally introduced to maintain participation during COVID-19 restrictions. Beyond OVR, the technology stack is conventional event and content publishing infrastructure (a website, newsletter signup via Jotform, social media channels including Instagram and Xiaohongshu/Red Note), with no proprietary AI/ML or data products described in source material.

Independent generates revenue through exhibitor fees (one-time booth/space rental charges paid by galleries to participate) and transaction-based commissions on sales facilitated during the fairs, supplemented by OVR-enabled sales. Pricing is quote-based and individually negotiated with galleries and is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is event-driven and community-led: physical fairs concentrate the New York collector base in one place, while features, podcasts, and institutional partnerships (Henry Street Settlement, Contemporary Art Library, Sotheby's) reinforce cultural positioning. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, investors, or financial figures, and operates primarily out of New York City.

Name

Independent Art Fair

Legal name

Independent Art Fair

Website

https://independenthq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Independent Art Fair is a privately held New York organization founded in 2010 that produces two annual art fairs — May contemporary and September 20th century — serving participating galleries, high-net-worth collectors, art advisors, and museums through physical events, an Online Viewing Rooms platform, and the NYC Art Market Report.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Fair Services

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Art fair management
• Contemporary art exhibition
• Art market research
• Gallery exhibition services
• Art event production

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor Fees: Galleries pay fees to participate and exhibit at the art fair events. Revenue is generated from booth/space rental charges to participating galleries.
2. Art Fair Commission: Commission-based revenue from sales transactions facilitated during the fair, with art fairs accounting for 46% of gallery sales in 2019 according to market research.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Independent Art Fair organizes and operates two flagship annual art fairs in New York City: the May edition focused on contemporary art and the September edition (Independent 20th Century) focused on 20th century art. The company charges exhibitor fees to galleries for booth space, facilitates sales between galleries and collectors, and supplements this with an Online Viewing Rooms digital platform, editorial content, podcasts, and the NYC Art Market Report research publication.

Product overview

Independent Art Fair operates as a multi-faceted art fair company with two primary annual events: the May Independent fair focused on contemporary art and the September Independent 20th Century fair focused on historical art. The company also produces editorial content through its Features section, maintains a News/PR division for announcements, and publishes the NYC Art Market Report as a research initiative providing market intelligence on the New York art market ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• May Independent Art Fair Annual contemporary art fair held in May in New York City, featuring contemporary art galleries and dealers exhibiting and selling works to collectors, museum curators, and advisors.
• September Independent 20th Century Art Fair Annual fair focused on 20th century art held in September in New York City, complementing the May contemporary fair with historical and modernist works at premium venues including Battery Maritime Building and Sotheby's at the Breuer.
• Online Viewing Rooms (OVR) Digital platform allowing galleries to showcase artwork and collectors worldwide to browse and purchase works virtually, especially during periods when physical events are limited.
• NYC Art Market Report Comprehensive research report on the New York art market providing market data, collector surveys, and analysis of galleries, advisors, and art market trends.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of New York collectors surveyed had purchased art at art fairs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• CrozierminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Crozier provided free shipping for Los Angeles exhibitors affected by 2025 fires, supporting exhibitor community during crisis.
• Henry Street SettlementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent announced partnership with Henry Street Settlement to support community arts programming. This partnership reflects Independent's commitment to broader community engagement beyond the commercial art fair model.
• Contemporary Art LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint launch of The New York Gallery History Project with Contemporary Art Library. This initiative documents and preserves the history of New York galleries, positioning Independent as a cultural institution beyond commerce.
• Sotheby'sflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent 20th Century partners with Sotheby's at the Breuer as venue host. This premium venue partnership elevates the 20th Century edition's positioning and attracts high-end collector clientele.
• Jay Gorney Modern ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe New York Gallery History Project launches first installment with Jay Gorney Modern Art, documenting gallery history as cultural preservation initiative.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Artissima: Italy's leading contemporary art fair in Turin; comparable curated boutique positioning and gallery roster, although geographically focused on the European market.
• The Armory Show: Long-running New York contemporary art fair operating at the Javits Center; competes directly with Independent's May contemporary edition for galleries and HNW collectors.
• ADAA (The Art Show): Art Dealers Association of America fair hosted annually in New York; member-gallery model and curated approach make it a close comparable to Independent's boutique positioning.
• Frieze: Operates Frieze New York and other major international art fairs; competes for the same gallery and collector base as Independent with a larger, more international portfolio under Endeavor ownership.
• TEFAF: The European Fine Art Fair, with a strong focus on historical and Old Master works; comparable to Independent 20th Century's positioning at the high end of the secondary market.

Emerging players

• 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair: Specialized fair focused on contemporary African art with editions in multiple cities; comparable boutique fair model but with a narrower thematic focus.

Regional players

• EXPO Chicago: Major US contemporary art fair held in Chicago; competes for a similar gallery base and HNW collector demographic but operates in a different regional market.
• Art Dubai: Leading Middle Eastern contemporary art fair; comparable boutique-format fair targeting HNW collectors and international galleries, but serving a distinct geographic market.

Broad incumbents

• Sotheby's: Global auction house and venue partner for Independent 20th Century at the Breuer; overlaps as a competing sales channel for HNW collectors and 20th century works, while also serving as a strategic venue partner.
• Art Basel: The global standard-bearer in art fairs (Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, Paris+), owned by MCH Group; competes for premium galleries and is the dominant incumbent Independent positions against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/independent_hq
• Facebookfacebook.com/independentny
• Instagraminstagram.com/independent_hq/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independenthq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Independent Art Fair