After Initially Hoping to Stick to Its September Opening, EXPO Chicago Has Been Postponed Until April 2021

Another domino has fallen in the art industry’s international
fair schedule, as the ninth edition of EXPO Chicago has been
postponed from September 2020 to April 2021.

“The decision to move the date was the result of a collaborative
decision-making process with the galleries to give them the
time they need to focus on reopening their spaces and exhibitions,”
fair director Tony Karman told Artnet News in an email.

Organizers of the fair, which was originally set to take place
from September 24 to 27 with 125 exhibitors, determined that it
would still be too early in the recovery period to hold the event,
which attracts close to 40,000 visitors each year. The new
dates are April 8 to 11, 2021.

The 2020 edition of NADA Chicago, EXPO’s one-year-old satellite,
was canceled last
month.

EXPO was slated to be part of a busy fall, especially after a
slew of international events originally scheduled for the spring
and summer were postponed or cancelled.
Currently on the docket for the season are Art Basel (scheduled for September 17 to
20), the Dallas
Art Fair (October 1 to 4), as well as regularly scheduled
events including Frieze London (October 8 to 11) and FIAC in Paris
(October 22 to 25).

But social-distancing measures make it nearly impossible to hold major
gatherings. EXPO’s postponement follows similar
announcements from organizers of South Korea’s Gwangju Biennale,
which has been delayed from September to February,
and France’s Biennale de Lyon, which has been moved from 2021 to
2022.

Karman remains confident that the fair will still attract
high-end dealers, even as some may be looking to refocus how and
where they spend their money.

“Fairs of our scale and character, that are based in cities that
have robust and longstanding gallery, collector, and institutional
resources, will have an advantage in terms of providing the kind of
important art experiences patrons and collectors will look for
moving forward,” he said.

“While we recognize the increased importance of virtual
experiences and will be incorporating a digital platform into our
program, we believe that there is no replacement for experiencing
art in person.”

EXPO’s organizers have not yet decided if they will seek to
return the event to its regular September dates following the April
2021 edition. But a portion of the event’s 2021 proceeds will be
donated to the Art Dealers Association of America and the New Art
Dealers Association.

The post After Initially Hoping to Stick to Its September
Opening, EXPO Chicago Has Been Postponed Until April 2021
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