Artsy has launched the fifth edition of Foundations, its annual online showcase designed to help collectors discover and buy work by emerging artists through leading contemporary galleries around the world. The 2026 edition brings together more than 1,200 works from 85 galleries across 20 countries and nearly 50 cities, creating one of the largest online presentations of emerging contemporary art this summer.
Aimed at both first-time buyers and established collectors looking to discover new talent, Foundations places the spotlight on small and mid-sized galleries, offering carefully curated presentations that make navigating the emerging art market more accessible.
The 2026 edition builds on the success of last year’s showcase, which generated a 20% increase in e-commerce sales for participating galleries. Several artists featured in Foundations 2025 also experienced dramatic increases in collector interest, with enquiries rising by as much as 1,100% month-on-month, reinforcing the platform’s growing reputation for identifying artists early in their careers.
“Sometimes an artwork stops you before you can explain why. Foundations is built around that moment—making it easy to go from discovering a work to actually making it yours,”
said Casey Lesser, Artsy’s Chief Curator and Director of Editorial and Content.
“These are terrific pieces from small and mid-size galleries that are foundational to the art world, and we take the guesswork out of knowing whether a work is priced fairly or high quality. We built this campaign around the idea that every art journey starts with one work. With Foundations, it really is that simple—the hard part is just picking one.”
Works in the showcase range from $500 to $7,500, spanning painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media. To help collectors navigate the selection, Artsy’s curatorial team has also created two dedicated collections—Curators’ Picks: Foundations and Foundations: Art Under $1,000—while the platform’s Instagram channel will highlight a different artwork each day throughout the three-week event. All works are available to purchase directly through Artsy.
The international line-up includes galleries from London, New York, Paris, Berlin, Seoul, Mexico City, Melbourne and Lagos, among many others. UK participants include Canopy Collections, Chilli Gallery, Cob, Gillian Jason Gallery, NEVEN, The Dot Project, THE TAGLI, Wilder Gallery, Wondering People and Wizard Gallery, reflecting the breadth of London’s emerging gallery scene.
As the art market continues to evolve, Foundations 2026 positions collecting emerging art as less about investment and more about discovery—connecting a new generation of collectors with artists at the beginning of their careers through the galleries that champion them first.
Foundations 2026 is live August 3rd–21st, 2026
artsy.net/fair/foundations-2026
