ART COLOGNE has published a preview interview with art director Daniel Hug covering the highlights, returning exhibitors and the state of the art market ahead of its 2026 edition. The fair, the world's oldest surviving art fair, runs from 5 to 8 November 2026 at Koelnmesse in Cologne, with 164 galleries from 22 countries announced for this year's edition.

The programme spans the fair's established sections, including GALLERIES, NEUMARKT for young galleries, COLLABORATIONS for joint projects, ART + OBJECT for art and design, and NEW POSITIONS, which supports solo presentations by emerging artists and marks its 45th anniversary this year. Guided ARTtours, talks and award ceremonies round out the supporting programme, alongside a city-wide programme of exhibition openings in museums and institutions across the Rhineland.

Special exhibitions will add a museum dimension to the fair. The LBBW Collection is staging a special exhibition showing how art reflects social change, while ZADIK, the Central Archive for German and International Art Market Studies at the University of Cologne, presents an exhibition on the interrelations of the intra-German art trade between 1949 and 1990 and developments after reunification. Further special exhibitions feature Christian Megert, Eva Lootz and Hermann Nitsch.

The fair week also carries two major honours. Lee Ufan, presented by Galerie Mennour Paris, will receive this year's Wolfgang Hahn Prize, with the award ceremony taking place on 6 November at Museum Ludwig during the fair and a presentation of his work on display at the museum from 7 November 2026 to 4 April 2027. The Düsseldorf-based Bronner family of collectors, spanning three generations, will receive the 2026 ART COLOGNE Prize, to be formally presented on 6 November at Cologne's Historic City Hall.