Expo Chicago was postponed until April 2021 due to COVID-19.
Expo Chicago Vernissage 2019. Image Courtesy of Expo Chicago by Cory Dewald.
The ninth edition of Expo Chicago has been postponed until April 2021. The annual art fair, which was originally scheduled to take place in September at Chicago’s Navy Pier, will instead be held from April 8th to 11th next year.
Last month, the fair introduced accommodations for exhibitors including non-binding deposits, reduced booth fees and flexible payment schedules. It also announced it would donate a portion of its proceeds to the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) and the New Art Dealers Association (NADA). These accommodations will still apply for participants in the spring 2021 edition of the fair, and will coincide with expanded programming and initiatives. NADA canceled the second edition of its Expo Chicago satellite fair, NADA Chicago, last month.
Tony Karman, director of Expo Chicago, said in a statement:
Moving our dates will enable our exhibitors and partners in Chicago to focus on reopening their galleries, launching their upcoming exhibitions, and begin the process of rebuilding so that together we can prepare for this important convening moment for the global art community in Chicago next April.
The announcement marks the latest postponement of major fall art fairs and exhibitions due to COVID-19. The 13 edition of the Gwangju Biennale, scheduled to take place from September 4th to November 29th, was pushed back to 2021. Art Basel’s marquee expo in Switzerland, meanwhile, is still scheduled to take place from September 15th to 20th after being pushed back from its original June timeframe.
