25.09.2026
Vienna, 26.09.2026 – The Astoria Artshow, the preview edition of a new international Viennese art fair held from 10 to 13 September 2026 in the historic Astoria Garage, has exceeded all expectations.
The organiser, VAU Vienna Artgalleries United, had anticipated around 5,000 visitors. In fact, some 28,000 art lovers came to see the show, which featured more than 400 works by 120 artists from across Europe. With this figure, the Astoria Artshow immediately attracted more visitors than any other Viennese art fair in recent years.
The diverse, curatorially coordinated presentations by more than 80 participating galleries drew a broad audience: from school pupils and students to families, young and older adults and seniors; from expert art collectors, well-known curators and museum directors to art enthusiasts from all walks of life. According to the organisers, the high proportion of international visitors was particularly gratifying. They strolled across the six parking levels, covering a total area of approximately 10,500 square metres, taking in the artworks on display.
Extraordinary location, top-tier collectors
"The concept of a single four-day ticket at the accessible price of just 15 euros has worked out perfectly," emphasises the board of VAU Vienna Artgalleries United, the association that runs the Astoria Artshow, consisting of gallerists Karoline Hilger, Thomas Krinzinger, Antonia Lia Orsi (City Galerie), Markus Peichl (Galerie Crone), Isabell Steinek and Maximilian Thoman. "Together with the attractive, extraordinary location, this concept played a key role in reaching an audience that would not normally attend an art fair. At the same time, the high quality standard of the works on display attracted top-tier collectors."
The positive atmosphere and the large number of seasoned collectors were also reflected in the participating galleries' sales. Originally conceived primarily as a statement for the future, through which the galleries sought to highlight their importance for Vienna as an art hub rather than to generate high revenues, the Astoria Artshow turned out to be an unexpectedly successful marketplace for contemporary art.
Works by established artists and pieces by young, emerging talents alike met with strong interest. In the higher price segment, for example, the Viennese Galerie nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder achieved very respectable sales with sculptures by Sheila Hicks, as did Galerie Ron Mandos from Amsterdam with an installation by the American artist Anthony Goicolea, and Elektrohalle Rhomberg from Salzburg with paintings by the Japanese artist Haruko Maeda. In the lower price range, with prices below 15,000 euros, buyers were found for eleven works by Fuko Katsuda at AG18 Galerie in Vienna, all six paintings by Jungwon Phee at The Third gallery from Seoul, four objects by Matei Emanuel at the Romanian Jecza Gallery and five sculptures by Urd J. Pedersen at Galerie Christian Torp from Oslo, among others. The Salzburg gallery Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art sold all of its wooden sculptures by Koloman Wagner, Suppan from Vienna sold an oversized, four-metre-long sculpture and three wall works by Georg Haberler, and the Shore Gallery, also based in Vienna, sold a car transformed into an artwork by Nik Geene.
Resounding success of the new fair concept
Astoria Artshow co-initiator and VAU chairman Markus Peichl: "We have always said that, in view of the undeniable crisis in the international art market, art fairs need to be completely rethought. The surprisingly good sales at the Astoria Artshow give us encouragement. With the new, dialogue-based presentation of works in open spaces instead of conventional booths, we seem to have struck a chord with the public. Arranging the works purely according to aesthetic criteria and trying to create connections between the different positions not only produced an overall impression akin to an exhibition, but also directed attention to the individual objects, sculptures and pictures. We will now evaluate this concept and develop it further for 2027."
It was not only the sales but also the response abroad that was overwhelmingly positive. After Vienna had recently lost a great deal of credibility in the international media due to squabbling, turmoil and last-minute cancellations of its art fairs, the Astoria Artshow has now received effusive praise. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung spoke of a "successful fresh start", saying the Astoria Artshow had set "long-awaited upward trends in the battered art-trade metropolis of Vienna". Referring to the imposing spiral access ramp at the centre of the Astoria Garage, the Berlin art magazine Monopol asked, "Will this be the new Guggenheim?" and credited the participating galleries: "All of them offered artistic quality and surprisingly cheerful art." Welt am Sonntag celebrated "Vienna's garage of good ideas" and concluded: "The Astoria Artshow in an old car park could become a model for the future." The Süddeutsche Zeitung, in turn, asked after visiting the Astoria Artshow, "Will Vienna be the next big thing?" and let the gallerists and artists it interviewed rave at length: "Here, people take time for art."
Vienna as an art hub is back in the game
Markus Peichl takes stock on behalf of VAU Vienna Artgalleries United: "The Astoria Artshow was initiated and organised by 35 Viennese galleries. Their determined commitment and tremendous effort made this launch of a new international Viennese art fair possible, as did the spontaneous participation of 45 further galleries from across Europe. Given the strained situation in the international art market, this could not be taken for granted, but it was necessary."
Also of crucial importance, he said, was the financial support from the public sector and private companies. "We are very grateful to the federal government and the City of Vienna, as well as to all our other sponsors and partners, for making the Astoria Artshow possible through grants and in-kind contributions," says Markus Peichl.
"Due to the short lead time, the funding and sponsorship were very modest by international standards. Art fairs in other European cities receive many times as much. If we want to keep up with this competition, if we want to establish Vienna and the Astoria Artshow permanently on the global art fair calendar, there will have to be greater contributions from both public and private sources in the future, as is the case everywhere else," Peichl continues. "We are very optimistic that from 2027 onwards we will be able to secure funding for a large, central, internationally competitive art fair. Art-minded private companies in particular have signalled their willingness to sponsor and support the Astoria Artshow on a lasting basis, thanks to the enormous success of the preview edition. We owe this first and foremost to the City of Vienna's willingness to make the first edition of our new fair possible at short notice and without red tape, just as one would hope for in a good, contemporary cultural capital. The fact that funds were made available this year, despite extremely tight timelines, has brought Vienna as an art hub back into the game. A breath of new beginnings blew through the Astoria Garage, and it was felt far beyond Austria's borders. It can carry us into 2027, 2028, 2029 and well beyond; it can make Vienna a hotspot and a first-class destination for art lovers from all over the world, if we continue to think big and boldly."
The next Astoria Artshow will take place in September 2027.