Curated by FITZ & CO · 6 exhibitions
New York's art week opens the market to the public through a dense circuit of fairs and auction viewings across the city. Sotheby's presents free public exhibitions at its Breuer Building headquarters tied to its marquee May contemporary and modern sales, while Christie's Rockefeller Center galleries open with museum-quality works on view ahead of auction. Frieze New York runs May 14–17 at The Shed, while Independent New York (May 14–17 at Pier 36) offers a more curated, solo-focused perspective on emerging and mid-career practices. TEFAF New York opens May 15–19 at the Park Avenue Armory with a broader range spanning modern and contemporary art, design, and antiquities, and NADA New York (May 13–17 at the Starrett-Lehigh Building) foregrounds a younger, more experimental gallery community. Together, these public viewings and fairs create a concentrated moment to see the full spectrum of the market, from emerging voices to blue-chip masterworks, within a single week in NYC.
The Shed · The 15th edition of Frieze New York returns to The Shed in Hudson Yards with 67 galleries from 26 countries, including a notably strong presence from Central and South America. Anchored by international heavyweights like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Pace, Perrotin, Thaddaeus Ropac, White Cube and David Zwirner, the fair also stages the Focus section — 11 younger galleries curated by Lumi Tan presenting bold solo projects. VIP preview on May 13 precedes four days of public hours.
Pier 36 · Independent's 2026 edition relocates to Pier 36 — a 70,000 sq ft light-filled waterfront venue more than double the size of its former Spring Studios home, redesigned by Brooklyn architects SO-IL with exhibition design by Berlin's D_P_S. 76 exhibitors participate, 42% based internationally and nearly half showing at the fair for the first time. The fair leans heavily on solo presentations through its Independent Debuts initiative, formalizing its identity as the most curatorially adventurous of New York's May fairs.
Park Avenue Armory · TEFAF New York returns to the Park Avenue Armory with over 90 international galleries presenting modern and contemporary art, design, jewelry, and ancient art — the only fair to activate all 16 of the Armory's historic period rooms across the first and second floors with transformative exhibitor presentations. A preview day on May 14 precedes public opening.
Starrett-Lehigh Building · The 12th edition of NADA New York returns to the Starrett-Lehigh Building in West Chelsea with 121 galleries, art spaces, and nonprofit organizations from 15 countries and 46 cities — including 45 NADA Members and 53 first-time exhibitors. The fair remains the most discovery-oriented stop on New York's May art-week circuit, with programming that includes the TD Curated Spotlight, artist presentations, and NADA Presents conversations and performances.
Sotheby's at the Breuer Building · Free public exhibition of works headed to Sotheby's spring marquee evening sales, installed inside Marcel Breuer's 1966 Brutalist landmark — newly reopened as Sotheby's global headquarters following a Herzog & de Meuron and PBDW renovation that preserved Breuer's cantilevered granite, trapezoidal windows, and bush-hammered concrete walls. Visitors can see works headed to The Now & Contemporary, Modern, and marquee single-owner evening sales across multiple gallery floors. Free with timed-entry reservation.
Christie's Rockefeller Center · Free public viewing of works heading to Christie's spring 20th and 21st Century evening sales at the auction house's Rockefeller Center galleries. The 2026 season is anchored by major estates including the S.I. Newhouse collection (led by Pollock's Number 7A and a Brancusi Danaïde) and works from the late arts patron Agnes Gund (Rothko, Twombly, Cornell), alongside a multi-owner evening auction of 20th-century art.
