A Considered Start To The Year

Welcome to the first edition of the KRC Monthly Brief.

Each month, we share a focused view on the moments, markets, and movements shaping private collections and the art world globally. 

This is not a news digest. It is a strategic lens on what matters and why.

As the year opens, the early fair calendar offers valuable signals on collector behaviour, established appetite, and pricing tone for the months ahead.

KR Contemporary approaches the year with a focus on thoughtful placement, long-term value 

and the care of collections as living archives.

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Upcoming Art Events

Art Basel Qatar

3 February - 7 February, 2026

Doha, Qatar

Art Basel Qatar is the newest edition of the Art Basel franchise, marking the fair’s first presence in the Middle East. Taking place in Doha, it is conceived as a more curated and spatially distributed fair, unfolding across multiple venues rather than a single convention hall. 

The fair places an emphasis on thematic programming and regional representation, with a focus on artists and galleries connected to the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and the broader international landscape.

KRC Perspective

We’ve been watching the lead up to Art Basel Qatar with real curiosity. It feels early and still very much in the process of having its own identity. The smaller scale and more curated, multisite format suggest an intention to let the surroundings lead and we’re interested in the outcome of swaying away from the traditional fair model.

There’s clear cultural ambition behind the project, even as it remains uncertain how it will ultimately take shape for galleries, artists, and collectors. For us, that uncertainty is part of the appeal. It’s worth paying attention to, of course. We’re looking forward to see how Art Basel Qatar hopefully finds its footing.

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Zona Maco

2 February – 8 February, 2026 (Fair 4 February - 8 February)

Mexico City

Zona Maco is Latin America’s largest and most established contemporary art fair, held annually in Mexico City. The fair brings together an international mix of galleries alongside a strong regional presence, with presentations spanning modern and contemporary art, design, and photography. 

Positioned early in the calendar, Zona Maco functions as both a market anchor for the region and a point of exchange between Latin American artists, galleries, and the global art circuit.

KRC perspective

Zona Maco has always felt less like a tightly controlled fair and more like an extension of Mexico City itself. It’s energetic, social, and sometimes uneven but very alive. You move through strong presentations alongside more familiar material, and that contrast is part of the experience rather than a flaw.

What makes Zona Maco captivating is everything happening around it. Artists are present. Studios are open. Museums, private collections, and conversations are well beyond the fair floor. The city carries as much energy as the booths, and the fair works best when seen as one part of a much larger umbrella.

Zona Maco is about feeling where the energy is building, noticing how galleries are engaging locally, and paying attention to what feels authentic.

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Palm Beach Art Fair

29 January – 2 February, 2026

West Palm Beach, Florida

Art Palm Beach is a long-running winter fair in West Palm Beach that brings together a broad mix of modern and contemporary galleries, with a strong emphasis on accessibility and the regional collecting base. The fair tends to favor familiar material and established names, offering breadth rather than tightly curated presentations, which can make it feel more survey-like than directional.

For collectors already spending the season in Palm Beach, it functions less as a discovery driven destination (Like Independent or Untitled) and more as a low expectation early year art fair a moment to reconnect with galleries, take the temperature of the market, and ease into the rhythm of the year ahead.

KRC perspective

The return of Art Palm Beach signals the start of the winter art season in South Florida. While it isn’t a destination fair, it continues to function as a familiar, low-pressure moment for collectors already in Palm Beach to visit familiar galleries and their presentations, plus view the broader circuit of galleries typically displaying secondary works with an emphasis on editions/prints.

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Featured Artists

Ramon Enrich

Ramon Enrich studied Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona, following which he was awarded numerous scholarships to study abroad. A great admirer of Donald Judd, he moved to Marfa, Texas in 1988 where Judd lived and worked, spending time at the Judd Foundation and the Chinati Foundation. He travelled to Los Angeles where he met Ed Ruscha and worked with David Hockney before settling in New York and assisting in Julian Schnabel's studio for a short time. 

He has exhibited worldwide for almost 25 years and now lives and works in Igualada, Spain. His works are held in public and private collections worldwide, most notably the private collections of David Hockney, Norman Foster and Donald Juda.

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From The Collection Desk

In 2025 , we noticed a shift in the entirety of art world, less questions about what’s “next,” and more about longevity and what is here to stay. Collectors are spending more time with the works they already live with, and galleries are using this moment to be more deliberate in how they present artists and ideas.

For us, 2026 feels less about being apart of the hype, chasing the pulse and more about refining collections, strengthening relationships, and making decisions that feel considered rather than last minute and compelling.

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If You Need Assistance...

If you’re planning to be on the ground, we’re always happy to share how we’d approach it, what’s worth seeing, where to spend time, how to navigate fairs and exhibitions, and even where to eat or linger between it all. 

If you’d like more detail on any of the events mentioned here, or want a second set of eyes on plans or tickets, just send us an email. We’re always glad to help.