The Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) has canceled the 2025 edition of its flagship art fair, The Art Show, which was scheduled to open with a benefit preview on October 28 at the Park Avenue Armory. In an email to members, ADAA leadership cited a “strategic pause” and said the board made the decision after careful review, with plans to reimagine the fair for long-term sustainability. Exhibitors who submitted deposits will be contacted about reimbursement options, and the fair is expected to return in 2026 with a renewed vision.
The cancellation underscores broader instability in the art market, coming on the heels of two major dealers—Tim Blum and Adam Lindemann—closing their galleries and a public legal feud between art advisors Barbara Guggenheim and Abigail Asher. The Art Show, launched in 1988, has been a keystone event for Upper East Side collectors and dealers, and its gala preview has raised over $38 million for the Henry Street Settlement. The ADAA’s decision adds institutional weight to growing retrenchment in the art world, fueling fears of an unsteady market.