The Galleries Art Fair 2026 kicked off on Wednesday at Coex in southern Seoul, drawing strong crowds and signaling a good start to the year. As Korea’s oldest art fair, the fair is considered as a barometer of the domestic art market of the year.
Running till Sunday, the fair opened to the general public Thursday after a VIP preview the day before. It's 44th edition has attracted the participation of 169 galleries, the largest number in its history.
The VIP preview attracted some 4,500 visitors, with long queues forming at the entrance and a growing number of younger collectors on-site, reflecting expanding public interest in contemporary art, according to the Galleries Association of Korea, the organizer of the fair.
A highlight of the fair is the emerging artist presentation “Zoom-In,” now in its seventh edition, featuring 10 selected artists. This year’s edition accompanies the special exhibition that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Galleries Association of Korea.
Some galleries showed strong early business. Kukje Gallery sold a work by Julian Opie priced at around 90 million won ($60,000) and a piece by Kim Yun-shin in the 40 million won range, along with multiple works by Park Seo-bo, Lotus Kang and Jang Pa.
The upbeat mood at the fair comes amid signs of a broader recovery in the global art market.
The global art market grew by 4 percent year-on-year in 2025 to an estimated $59.6 billion, marking a modest recovery and a turning point after two consecutive years of decline, according to the Art Basel and UBS art report released on March 12.
South Korea posted a 6 percent increase year-on-year, while Japan, which had bucked the downward trend in 2024, saw a slower year with sales declining by 1 percent, the report shows.
yunapark@heraldcorp.com
![[Exclusive] Ateez to return in November](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/09/02/news-p.v1.20260902.76162fb0ba55493aad1c076f240d0750_R.jpg?type=h&h=120)