Observer’s Top Five Must-See Gallery Presentations of ADAA Fair 2026

After taking 2025 off, the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) has returned to the Park Avenue Armory with a new name and revised format for its longstanding signature fair. Opening this evening in preview, ADAA Fair runs November 13-16 with 63 participating galleries spanning historical, modern and contemporary art. That’s 12 fewer than in 2024, and that’s not the only change. 

This year’s event has put a notably greater emphasis on presentations by regional American galleries and newer ADAA members, with exhibitors from Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Miami, Dallas and elsewhere. “The American gallery landscape extends well beyond New York and Los Angeles,” executive director Kinsey Robb told Observer earlier this week. “Across the country, exceptional dealers are building ambitious programs, supporting artists, developing collectors and contributing significantly to their cultural communities.”

The fair’s philanthropic priorities have also changed. For 36 years, it supported Henry Street Settlement with its opening gala. This year, proceeds will benefit the education and artistic programs of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The rebrand certainly marks a new chapter for the association, but as Robb noted in a statement, “the qualities that have long defined our fair remain unchanged: thoughtful presentations, genuine dialogue and a collegial community of galleries committed to excellence.”

What follows are the booths worth seeking out at this year’s edition of the fair, from long-overdue rediscoveries to fresh readings of postwar abstraction and the quieter pleasures of works on paper.