A new director, 105 exhibitors and a set of programs for first-time buyers show how Canada's largest international art fair wants to grow its audience.
Art Toronto 2026 opens at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on October 29 and runs to November 1. The fair brings 105 exhibitors from Canada and abroad to downtown Toronto for its 27th edition. It is billed as the country’s leading international fair for modern and contemporary art.
This year, a first-time director has made attracting new buyers the main goal. Highlights include rare and newly unveiled photographs by Edward Burtynsky, large installations spread through the building, and several new programs that aim to make buying art less intimidating for people who have never done it.
Emily-Jean Alexander’s First Art Toronto Puts New Collectors at the Centre
Emily-Jean Alexander is leading the fair for the first time. Her team will present thousands of works across painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, installation and new media. Canadian galleries make up more than half of the exhibitors. The rest come from the United States, Latin America and Europe.
Alexander has said the long-term health of the fair depends on who buys art next. Speaking about her first edition, she said she wanted to think about building the fair’s future, and that starts with the next generation of collectors. She added that Canada has extraordinary artists, galleries and institutions. In her view, a strong market also needs people to feel that collecting is open to them.
That message runs through much of this year’s programming. Several of the new additions are aimed at visitors who may admire art but have never bought a piece.
Edward Burtynsky’s Vault Collection and Two Mining Premieres
The best-known name at the fair is Edward Burtynsky. His work has explored how industrial activity reshapes the natural landscape for more than 40 years. Nicholas Metivier Gallery will present The Vault Collection, a group of rare and significant photographs by the Canadian photographer.
- Time span: The images date from 1985 to 2016.
- Archival material: The selection includes artist proofs from Burtynsky’s personal archive.
- Early works: Legacy prints of some of his most recognizable early photographs are also included.
The headline moment is a world premiere. On October 29, the fair will unveil two new photographs from Burtynsky’s upcoming project, Mining: For the Future. The images follow a 2025 trip to Western Australia. They look at mining operations that produce lithium, copper and cobalt, materials that are central to emerging energy technologies.
The new work brings a familiar Burtynsky theme into the debate over the minerals behind the energy transition. That debate matters for Canada, which has its own mining industry and its own critical minerals ambitions.
Arte Sur, Solo and a Strong Indigenous Presence on the Exhibitor List
The exhibitor list mixes established Canadian dealers with newer spaces and first-time participants. Galleries named 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. This continues the fair’s established focus on Indigenous practices and perspectives.
Arte Sur returns: The Latin American-focused section is back for its second edition, curated by Karen Huber. It brings together 11 galleries from Mexico, Central and South America, New York and Toronto, highlighting contemporary practice across the Americas.
Solo comes back after six years: The section dedicated to single-artist presentations returns for the first time in six years. Participating artists include Ursula Johnson, Audie Murray, Don Yeomans, Sameer Farooq and Karin Jones.
Karine Giboulo, Rich Loen’s Databells and Other Installations
Not everything at the fair sits inside a booth. Installations placed throughout the convention centre deal with nature, memory and the environment.
Art Mûr presents Karine Giboulo’s Joy is a Resistant Bacteria (The Living Room). The work shows a home left behind after an unnamed disaster. Among the broken furniture and scattered belongings, tiny figures rebuild their surroundings as plants start to grow back.
Other featured installations include:
- Abraham Anghik Ruben: Danish Shaman
- Kathy Slade: Sinking in the West, a monumental tapestry
- Sarah Tompkins: Athanor
In the lobby, Ottawa artist Rich Loen will present Databells, a free immersive sound piece. It uses 99 individually controlled bells to turn statistical data into a shifting soundscape, so visitors can experience information through movement and sound. More exhibitions in the Bistro and Café areas focus on Canadian forests and waterways, and on how landscape shapes artistic expression.
Ready to Collect Desk and a $5,000 Budget Talk at Emerging Collectors Evening
The clearest sign of the fair’s new direction is a group of programs for first-time buyers.
Ready to Collect Art Advisory Desk: This new service puts visitors in touch with professional art advisors. The advisors can suggest galleries, artists and works based on a visitor’s interests and collecting goals.
Emerging Collectors Evening: The fair’s first such event takes place Friday, October 30, from 5 to 9 p.m. It combines music, cocktails and time with gallery representatives, along with talks about buying art. Two sessions are scheduled:
- 6 p.m.: Art advisor Nico Epstein presents Top Picks to Start a Collection With.
- 7 p.m.: Megan Patterson presents This Is How I’d Spend $5,000 for You, which looks at how a newcomer might approach buying art on a set budget.
The Insider’s Eye at Art Toronto: This free digital learning module offers practical advice on moving through an art fair, talking with gallerists and making a purchase.
As general context, art fairs are one of the main places where commercial galleries meet buyers face to face. For many first-time collectors, the hardest parts are knowing what questions to ask and what a sensible budget looks like. Programs like these try to answer both questions in a setting where prices and dealers are right in front of them.
Platform Talks: Steve Wilson, Kate Wong and the Business of Galleries
The Platform Talks series runs all weekend and brings together artists, collectors, curators and gallery owners.
On Friday, October 30, entrepreneur and collector Steve Wilson, co-founder of 21c Museum Hotels, will talk about building and sharing a collection. He will also discuss how private collecting can widen public engagement with contemporary art.
Other sessions will look at:
- The business side 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 explore the relationships between artists, galleries, collectors, arts organizations and the communities that support them.
Curator-led tours also run through the weekend. These include daily Arte Sur tours at 4 p.m. and special tours on printmaking, contemporary practice and the participating Canadian galleries.
Opening Night Benefit for the McMichael Redevelopment
The fair officially opens Thursday, October 29, with its annual Opening Night Benefit for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Collectors First Look runs from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by the Opening Night celebration from 6 to 10 p.m.
Money raised from Opening Night tickets will go to the McMichael as it carries out a major redevelopment of its building and grounds.
Art Toronto 2026 Hours and Ticket Prices
The fair is held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front Street West, in downtown Toronto. Public hours begin on Friday, after the Thursday opening events.
| Day | Event or hours |
|---|---|
| Thursday, October 29 | Collectors First Look, 4 to 6 p.m.; Opening Night, 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. |
Ticket prices start at the following levels:
| Ticket | Starting price |
|---|---|
| General admission | $35 |
| Emerging Collectors Evening | $40 |
| Premium Fair Pass | $55 |
| Opening Night | $320 |
| Collectors First Look | $410 |
The full exhibitor list, ticket sales and complete program details are available through the fair’s official website. With a new director, a returning Solo section and two Burtynsky premieres, this year’s edition will offer an early test of whether a softer, more welcoming approach can bring a new wave of buyers into Canada’s contemporary art market.
