The Independent Art Fair has disclosed that it was acquired in 2025 by Informa, the London-listed publishing, research, business intelligence and exhibitions conglomerate, making the New York fair the group's first art brand based in the city. The news surfaced shortly after the fair closed the books on its Independent 20th Century edition in late September. Cofounder and creative director Elizabeth Dee confirmed the acquisition to ARTnews, explaining that Informa stood behind both the May and September editions this year. Dee, who launched the fair in 2010 with curator Darren Flook, said she would remain in place to oversee the now twice-annual event. She insisted that Informa was committed to preserving the fair's creative and curatorial independence. The conglomerate's fingerprints on this year's programme were already visible. In May, the main Independent fair shifted to Pier 36 on the Lower East Side waterfront, a move that nearly doubled the participant lineup compared with its previous base at Spring Studios. Independent 20th Century, meanwhile, made its controversial debut at the landmark Sotheby's Breuer building in September after four years at the Battery Maritime building. The deal extends a wider consolidation of the art-fair business. Informa, a FTSE 100 company with some 14,000 employees across 42 countries, also controls South Florida Ventures, the organiser behind Untitled Art, Art Miami and Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary; the Independent will remain a separate entity. The fair began in the old Dia Center for Art headquarters and has grown into one of New York's most closely watched boutique fairs, known for spatially attuned presentations of 20th- and 21st-century art.