Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary Art Fair Opens With “Marilyn 100” and a Sculpture-Garden Satellite Show
Palm Beach’s spring art calendar is in full swing as the ninth edition of Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary (PBM+C) opens this week at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, bringing a tightly edited mix of Modern masters, blue-chip contemporary names, and emerging artists to one of the country’s most seasoned collecting communities.
The fair began with a VIP Preview benefiting the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, signaling PBM+C’s continued effort to braid market activity with local cultural institutions. Presented by Art Miami, the 2026 edition gathers 55 galleries from across the United States and abroad, including exhibitors from France, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, Italy, Colombia, South Africa, Belgium, and more.
“Palm Beach has always had one of the most sophisticated and culturally savvy collecting audiences in the country,” said PBM+C Director and Art Miami Show Group Executive Vice President Nick Korniloff. He added that collectors in the region arrive “ready to engage,” with interests spanning “historical modern, blue-chip contemporary, mid-career cutting-edge, and emerging contemporary art.”
At the fair’s entrance, New York’s Taglialatella Galleries is anchoring the opening experience with a special exhibition titled “Marilyn 100,” featuring work by American artist Russell Young. Young was selected by the Estate of Marilyn Monroe as the official artist for the global “Marilyn 100” celebration, marking the centennial of Monroe’s birth. Positioned as a threshold moment for visitors, the presentation frames the fair’s broader proposition: recognizable cultural icons and investment-grade names alongside discovery-driven booths.
Elsewhere on the floor, PBM+C’s program leans into sculptural and cross-generational dialogues. Near the VIP Lounge, Duque Arango Galeria (Colombia) is presenting a sculpture installation by Gustavo Vélez, while also showing a curated selection of works by artists including Ugo Rondinone, Andres Moreno, and Ariel Carera. Miami’s Oliver Cole Gallery is bringing works by French artist Yves Klein (1928–1962), whose saturated blues and radical postwar experiments remain a touchstone for collectors and institutions alike.
The fair also spotlights contemporary figuration and material intensity through the “enigmatic figurative sculptures” of South Korean artist Seo Young-Deok (b. 1964), presented by Liquid Art System. At Ascaso Gallery (Miami), a two-artist presentation places Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez (1923–2019) in conversation with Chilean artist Roberto Matta (1911–2002), inviting viewers to consider optical perception and Surrealist-inflected space as parallel, rather than separate, 20th-century trajectories.
Beyond the convention center, PBM+C is extending its footprint through a satellite venue at the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden. The garden is hosting “Organic Abstractions,” an exhibition of work by artist Kevin Barrett, the 2026 Artist in Residence. Curated by PBM+C exhibitor Cheryl Sokolow of C Fine Art (New York), the show focuses on Barrett’s experimental approach to materials — including bronze, stainless steel, and aluminum — and his calibrated sense of scale within a landscape setting.
For Korniloff, the fair’s growth is inseparable from Palm Beach’s appetite for both connoisseurship and new work. “The fair continues to be a dynamic cultural force within the Palm Beach community,” he said, pointing to the recurring return of international galleries and collectors. Looking ahead, he added, “In 2026, we expect even greater growth and impact.”
Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary remains on view through March 22, 2026, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
