{"id":7073560,"date":"2026-10-03T00:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T00:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7073560"},"modified":"2026-10-03T00:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T00:13:24","slug":"independent-acquired-by-a-global-conglomerate-informa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7073560","title":{"rendered":"Independent Acquired by a Global Conglomerate Informa"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tIndependent<\/a>, which organizes two art fairs in New York each year\u2014one devoted to contemporary art in the spring and the other 20th-century art in the fall\u2014has been acquired by London-based conglomerate Informa. The sale was completed last year, meaning that both 2026 fairs were completed under Informa\u2019s ownership.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIndependent\u2019s future is bright. With Informa as our partner, Independent is redefining what an art fair can be with the spirit of a museum exhibition and the energy of a marketplace,\u201d Independent founder and creative director Elizabeth Dee<\/a> told ARTnews<\/em> in an email. She confirmed that she will stay on in her current role and continue overseeing both fairs.<\/p>\n

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\t\tRelated Articles<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Philippe<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tFormed in 1998 and headquartered in London, Informa is a publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group that organizes trade shows worldwide in various industries, including comic books, aviation, cosmetics, health and wellness, food and hospitality, pharmaceuticals, jewelry, fashion, ceramics, computer security, tech, energy, and boats.<\/p>\n

\n\tInforma\u2019s report<\/a> on the first half of 2026 indicated $2.7 billion in revenue and an adjusted operating profit of $723.7 million. Among its major shareholders<\/a> are BlackRock, Newton Investment Management, Lazard Asset Management, Norges Bank, Artemis Investment Manager, and Invesco. Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the FTSE 100 Index. Its 14,000 employees are spread over some 42 countries.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe acquisition of Independent marks the company\u2019s first New York\u2013based art brand. Informa\u2019s other notable ventures include the Monaco Yacht Show and Cannes Lions. Also under the Informa umbrella is South Florida Ventures, the operator of art fairs like Untitled Art, Art Miami, and Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary; Independent will remain separate from South Florida Ventures.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Exterior<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tIndependent 20th Century<\/a> had its 2026 edition last week at the Breuer building, now owned by Sotheby\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto Stefan Ruiz\/Courtesy Sotheby\u2019s<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIndependent informed exhibitors of the news on Friday afternoon, with Dee writing, \u201cOn the eve of the milestone 20th anniversary of Independent, we decided that the timing was right to find a partner to support Independent\u2019s continued growth while remaining true to our mission. We trust that the achievements of Independent in May and Independent 20th Century in September\u2014both realized as part of Informa\u2014speak for themselves and make evident our steadfast commitment to the high quality of the exhibitions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of the art world\u2019s best-respected fairs, Independent launched in 2010 at a former warehouse in New York\u2019s Chelsea neighborhood that was previously home to the Dia Center for the Arts. It was cofounded by Dee, at the time a New York gallerist, along with White Columns director Matthew Higgs, who continues to serve as curatorial adviser. Independent has become known for its distinctive layout, which emphasized flow over the boxy booths that typify these commercial trade shows.<\/p>\n

\n\tIndependent also sought to distinguish itself from its competitors. Press materials for the inaugural edition set the tone, not calling it an art fair, instead opting for terms like collective, consortium, and \u201chybrid model and temporary exhibition forum,\u201d as the New York Times<\/em><\/a> <\/em>noted. Nonprofits exhibited alongside dealers, noted the paper; that combination has since become de rigueur at many such events.<\/p>\n

\n\tIndependent staged its first five iterations at the former Dia building before moving to Spring Studios in Tribeca in 2016. Around this time, it also briefly went international, running Independent Brussels from 2016\u201318 at former department store Espace Vanderborght.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Portrait<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tElizabeth Dee, at the Breuer building. <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto Leandro Justen\/Courtesy Independent<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tIn 2022, the company launched Independent 20th Century, conceived by Dee, Higgs, and Sofie Scheerlinck, formerly of the TEFAF fair, to focus on art from 1900 to 2000. The new venture, ARTnews <\/em>reported at the time<\/a>, had \u201cthe stated aim of revising the canon to create a more diverse picture of art history.\u201d It took place for four years at the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan, before moving to the Breuer building for its fifth edition last week.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year, also saw the original Independent fair move to Pier 36 on the Lower East Side, more than doubling its size. At its new venue, it made headlines for including fashions by Comme des Gar\u00e7ons founder Rei Kawakubo in what was her first-ever solo art fair presentation. The move to the Breuer building also made headlines<\/a>, as the Brutalist masterpiece had been acquired by Sotheby\u2019s<\/a> in 2023, and the auctioneer joined as a \u201cpartner\u201d for the fair. The new venue allowed the fair to expand considerably, to 57 exhibitors, up from 31 at its previous downtown edition. In its report<\/a> on the 2026 fair, ARTnews<\/em> wrote, \u201cDespite nearly doubling in size, the fair remains viewer friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBoth Independent and Informa remain committed to Independent\u2019s creative and curatorial autonomy under the leadership of our team,\u201d Dee concluded her email to exhibitors. \u201cWe fully intend to shepherd and grow the organization as an outstanding curated platform for modern and contemporary art, as we always have done. We are confident that this will provide new opportunities for Independent and for our participating galleries.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Independent, which organizes two art fairs in New York each year\u2014one devoted to contemporary art in the spring and the other 20th-century art in the fall\u2014has been acquired by London-based conglomerate Informa. The sale was completed last year, meaning that both 2026 fairs were completed under Informa\u2019s ownership. \u201cIndependent\u2019s future is bright. With Informa as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7073561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[15282,234316,234315,5714,15175,230031,234317],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7073560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-acquired","tag-conglomerate","tag-elizabeth-dee","tag-global","tag-independent","tag-independent-20th-century","tag-informa"],"yoast_head":"\nIndependent Acquired by a Global Conglomerate Informa - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Independent, which organizes two art fairs in New York, has been acquired by London-based conglomerate Informa.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7073560\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Independent Acquired by a Global Conglomerate Informa - 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