FAIR FOR ART Vienna, a fair devoted to modern and contemporary art, is back at the Künstlerhaus on Karlsplatz for its 2026 edition, which is open to the public from October 7 to October 11. The fair is organized by the Verband Österreichischer Antiquitäten- und Kunsthändler, the Austrian association of antiques and art dealers, and brings together 28 galleries and art dealers on the building's first floor.
The return carries some local history. According to the Künstlerhaus, the building hosted the Wiener Internationale Kunstmesse for two decades from 1997. When the Künstlerhaus closed for a full renovation, backed by Hans Peter Haselsteiner, and changed direction, the event moved in 2016 to the Aula der Wissenschaften. This is the first time in ten years that the Künstlerhaus has opened its rooms to a contemporary art fair.
The Künstlerhaus describes the presentation as some 800 paintings and sculptures by around 200 artists, combining internationally known names, younger artists and established figures of Austrian art. Among the artists it lists are Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Andy Warhol, Alex Katz and Erwin Wurm. The Künstlerhaus adds that several works by important Austrian artists of the 20th and 21st centuries are being shown publicly for the first time.
The fair's press images give a sense of the Austrian focus. They include Gunter Damisch's oil painting "Versammlung" (1994–95), an untitled acrylic on jute by Hermann Nitsch from 2006, Max Weiler's egg-tempera painting "Alpenglühen" (1986), Franz Zadrazil's mixed-media work "Flesch" from 1973, and recent pieces such as Xenia Hausner's "Do not touch" (2023), Hannes Mlenek's large canvas "Gemeinsam" (2024), Christopher Corso's "Split Decision" (2025) and the bronze "Genesis" (2015) by the sculptor Boldi.
The setting links the fair to an exhibition in the same building. Work by Marc Adrian, whom the organizers call a master of Op Art, is on view on the ground floor in ALBERTINA modern, which shares the Künstlerhaus, while further works by him appear at the fair upstairs. Horst Szaal, president of the dealers' association, describes the Künstlerhaus rooms, with ALBERTINA modern next door, as an ideal setting for the event.
Exhibitors include Galerie bei der Albertina · Zetter, Kunsthandel Freller, Galerie Maringer, Galerie Welz and Galerie Zimmermann Kratochwill. A catalogue and a fair magazine accompany the edition, and the fair is open daily from 11:00 to 19:00, closing at 18:00 on its final day.
