Canada's largest modern and contemporary art fair returns under a new director, with Burtynsky premieres, an expanded Latin American section and programs aimed at first-time buyers.
Art Toronto 2026 opens at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on October 29, bringing 105 exhibitors to downtown Toronto for four days of modern and contemporary art. The 27th edition of what organizers call Canada’s leading international art fair runs until November 1. Its programming is built around a clear goal: making art collecting feel open to people who have never bought a work before.
More than half of this year’s exhibitors are Canadian galleries. They are joined by galleries and organizations from the United States, Latin America and Europe. The headline attraction is a rare group of photographs by Edward Burtynsky, including two images being shown publicly for the first time.
Emily-Jean Alexander’s First Fair Puts New Collectors at the Centre
This is the first edition led by Emily-Jean Alexander, who took over direction of the fair this year. Under her leadership, the show will present thousands of works across painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, installation and new media.
Alexander has framed her debut around the people who will sustain the market in the years ahead. She said she approached her first fair by asking what it means to build its future, and that for her the answer begins with the next generation of collectors.
“Canada has extraordinary artists, galleries and institutions, but a strong art market also depends on people feeling that collecting is something they can participate in,” Alexander said.
That thinking runs through several new features, from an advisory desk to a dedicated evening for emerging buyers, which are described further below.
Edward Burtynsky’s Vault Collection and a Mining Premiere
The fair’s most anticipated presentation is The Vault Collection, shown by Nicholas Metivier Gallery. It gathers rare and significant photographs by Edward Burtynsky, the internationally known Canadian photographer who has spent more than 40 years documenting how industry reshapes the natural landscape.
The selection spans 1985 to 2016. It includes artist proofs drawn from Burtynsky’s personal archive, along with legacy prints of some of his best-known early images.
The presentation also offers an early look at new work. Two photographs from Burtynsky’s upcoming project, Mining: For the Future, will have their world premiere at the fair on October 29. The images followed a 2025 trip to Western Australia and focus on mining operations that produce lithium, copper and cobalt, materials that are central to emerging energy technologies.
For readers following debates over critical minerals and the energy transition, the new images bring that subject into a gallery setting.
Who Is Exhibiting: Canadian Galleries, Arte Sur and the Return of Solo
The exhibitor list mixes long-established names with emerging spaces and first-time participants. Canadian galleries confirmed for 2026 include:
- Bau-Xi Gallery
- Daniel Faria Gallery
- Patel Brown
- Olga Korper Gallery
- Blouin Division
- Galerie de Bellefeuille
Nearly one-third of participating galleries will show work by Indigenous artists. Organizers describe this as a continuation of the fair’s ongoing focus on Indigenous artistic practices and perspectives.
Arte Sur: The Latin American-focused section returns for a second year, curated by Karen Huber. It features 11 galleries from Mexico, Central and South America, New York and Toronto, highlighting contemporary practices from across the Americas.
Solo: After a six-year absence, the Solo section is back, offering focused presentations of individual artists. Featured names include Ursula Johnson, Audie Murray, Don Yeomans, Sameer Farooq and Karin Jones.
Installations by Karine Giboulo, Rich Loen and Others Beyond the Booths
Not everything at the fair sits inside a gallery booth. Installations placed throughout the convention centre explore connections between art, nature, memory and the environment.
Joy is a Resistant Bacteria (The Living Room): Karine Giboulo’s work, presented by Art Mûr, imagines a home abandoned after an unspecified catastrophe. Among damaged furniture and scattered belongings, miniature figures rebuild their world as plants begin to grow back.
Other featured works: Visitors will also find Abraham Anghik Ruben’s Danish Shaman, Kathy Slade’s large-scale tapestry Sinking in the West, and Sarah Tompkins’ Athanor.
Databells: In the lobby, Ottawa-based artist Rich Loen will present a free immersive sound installation built from 99 individually controlled bells. The piece converts statistical data into a shifting soundscape, letting visitors experience information through motion and sound.
Further exhibitions in the Bistro and Café areas will look at Canadian forests and waterways, and at how landscape shapes artistic expression.
How Art Toronto 2026 Is Courting First-Time Buyers
Encouraging new collectors is one of the fair’s main priorities this year, and several programs are aimed squarely at people who are curious but unsure where to start.
- Ready to Collect Art Advisory Desk: A new service that connects visitors with professional art advisors, who can suggest galleries, artists and works based on a visitor’s interests and collecting goals.
- Emerging Collectors Evening: A first-time event on Friday, October 30, from 5 to 9 p.m., pairing music and cocktails with chances to meet gallery representatives and talk about buying art.
- The Insider’s Eye at Art Toronto: A free digital learning module with practical advice on navigating an art fair, speaking with gallerists and purchasing work.
The Emerging Collectors Evening includes two talks. At 6 p.m., art advisor Nico Epstein will lead Top Picks to Start a Collection With. At 7 p.m., Megan Patterson will present This Is How I’d Spend $5,000 for You, which walks through how a new collector might approach buying art on a set budget.
Platform Talks: Steve Wilson, SITE Toronto’s Kate Wong and Curator Tours
Across the weekend, the fair’s Platform Talks series will bring artists, collectors, curators and gallery owners together to discuss the contemporary art world.
On Friday, October 30, entrepreneur and collector Steve Wilson, co-founder of 21c Museum Hotels, will talk about building and sharing a collection. His session will touch on how private collecting can widen public engagement with contemporary art.
Other sessions will look at:
- The business of running an art gallery
- The growing presence of Latin American art in Canada
- Why collaboration between artists and cultural institutions matters
A four-part series organized with Kate Wong, founder of SITE Toronto, will examine the relationships linking artists, galleries, collectors, arts organizations and the communities that support them.
Curator-led tours will also run throughout the weekend. These include daily Arte Sur tours at 4 p.m., plus special tours focused on printmaking, contemporary practice and the participating Canadian galleries.
Opening Night Benefit for the McMichael Redevelopment
The fair formally opens on Thursday, October 29, with its annual Opening Night Benefit, held this year in support of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
The evening starts with Collectors First Look from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by the main Opening Night celebration from 6 to 10 p.m. Proceeds from Opening Night tickets will go toward the McMichael’s major redevelopment of its building and grounds.
Dates, Hours and Ticket Prices at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre
The fair takes place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front Street West, in downtown Toronto. Public hours run from Friday to Sunday.
| Day | Event or public hours |
|---|---|
| Thursday, October 29 | Collectors First Look, 4 to 6 p.m.; Opening Night Benefit, 6 to 10 p.m. |
| Friday, October 30 | Noon to 9 p.m. (Emerging Collectors Evening, 5 to 9 p.m.) |
| Saturday, October 31 | Noon to 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, November 1 | Noon to 6 p.m. |
Organizers list the following starting ticket prices:
| Ticket | Starting price |
|---|---|
| General admission | $35 |
| Emerging Collectors Evening | $40 |
| Premium Fair Pass | $55 |
| Opening Night | $320 |
| Collectors First Look | $410 |
Tickets, the full exhibitor list and additional programming details are available on the fair’s official website.
Visit Art Toronto for Tickets and Programming
Why the Fair’s Collector Push Matters for Canadian Galleries
General context: Art fairs serve as a marketplace for commercial galleries as well as a public showcase. Many galleries rely on a few major fairs each year to reach buyers beyond their regular clients. A fair that brings in new collectors can therefore widen the customer base for galleries and, through them, the artists they represent.
This year’s programming reflects that logic. An advisory desk, a budget-focused talk and a free learning module all try to remove the uncertainty that keeps casual visitors from buying. Pairing that effort with a strong Canadian presence, a substantial share of Indigenous artists and an expanded Latin American section gives the 2026 edition a clear identity under its new director.
For visitors who simply want to look, the Burtynsky premieres, the large installations and the free Databells piece in the lobby offer plenty without any purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is Art Toronto 2026?
The fair runs October 29 to November 1, 2026, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front Street West, Toronto.
How much does a general admission ticket cost?
General admission tickets start at $35, and a Premium Fair Pass starts at $55.
When can visitors see the new Edward Burtynsky photographs?
Two images from his upcoming project, Mining: For the Future, premiere on October 29 as part of The Vault Collection presented by Nicholas Metivier Gallery.
Are any parts of the fair free?
Rich Loen’s Databells sound installation in the lobby and The Insider’s Eye digital learning module are both described as free.
Who benefits from Opening Night ticket sales?
Proceeds support the McMichael Canadian Art Collection’s redevelopment of its building and grounds.
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