Art Monte-Carlo: How Does the Fair Work?
Private view, public days, curated section, art week, hotels and journeys: how a compact fair on the shores of the Mediterranean actually works.
Last updated 6 October 2026 · 5 min read
Art Monte-Carlo is a modern and contemporary art fair founded in 2016, placed under the high patronage of the Sovereign Prince and organised by Palexpo, a Geneva company within the Informa group. It is held at the Grimaldi Forum, on the Larvotto seafront, and brings together some thirty international galleries. Long held in July, it moved to the spring in 2026: its eleventh edition takes place from Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 April 2027. In 2026, an invitation-only private view opened the fair the evening before, and the public days were held in the afternoon. Admission tickets are sold by the fair, online; invitations to the private view cannot be bought. Around the fair, the Principality composes a short art week: galleries, auction houses, a museum, dinners and evenings.
What is Art Monte-Carlo?
Art Monte-Carlo was born in 2016 from a simple idea: to give the Côte d'Azur, where many collectors live and stay, an art fair to its own scale. It is organised by Palexpo, a company based near Geneva, within the Informa group; in 2026 it joined Informa Prestige, the division the group devotes to luxury.
The fair brings together some thirty modern and contemporary art galleries, from Europe, Asia and the Americas, as well as several galleries based in Monaco. The format is deliberately compact: few stands, an airy layout, time to return to a work and talk with a gallerist. People come to see, to meet, to acquire — and for the setting, on the Mediterranean, a few steps from the Larvotto beaches.
It is this whole, as much as the aisles of the Grimaldi Forum, that a private visitor comes for: the fair in the afternoon, the sea in the morning, the city's galleries, a dinner facing the harbour. This guide shows how to compose it.
The 2027 edition at a glance
The organiser has announced the dates of the eleventh edition: three days, from Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 April 2027. The private view, opening hours and list of exhibitors for 2027 have not yet been published; as a reference point, the 2026 edition brought together twenty-six galleries, after an invitation-only private view on the eve of the opening.
| Reference point | Detail | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Fair days | Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 April 2027 | 2027 hours not published; in 2026, opening in the afternoon |
| Private view | 2027 date not published | In 2026, the evening before, by invitation only |
| Venue | Grimaldi Forum, 10 avenue Princesse Grace, Monaco | On the Larvotto seafront |
| Exhibitors | Some thirty international galleries | Modern and contemporary art; twenty-six galleries in 2026 |
| Organiser | Palexpo, Informa group | TGZ Conciergerie has no affiliation with the fair |
How is the fair organised?
At the heart of the fair, the gallery stands bring together modern art and contemporary work: painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, sometimes design. Since 2026, a curated section, entrusted to a guest curator, presents a group exhibition around a theme; it can be visited with the fair ticket.
A programme of conversations punctuates the days: collectors, curators and art-market professionals discuss how to collect, the architecture of art spaces or the season's exhibitions on the coast. The 2027 programme will be published by the organiser as the fair approaches.
For a private visit, the essentials come down to two choices: which day, and at what pace. The fair can be covered comfortably in an afternoon; two visits allow you to return to a stand after reflection, which many collectors appreciate.
The Grimaldi Forum and the Larvotto
The Grimaldi Forum opened in July 2000, at 10 avenue Princesse Grace, facing the sea. The Principality's congress and cultural centre, it hosts a major exhibition every summer and, all year round, ballets, concerts and fairs. A 6,000 m² extension, 2,000 m² of it outdoors, opened in January 2025; the fair moved into it for the first time that year.
The Larvotto district, in the east of the Principality, brings together beaches, a promenade and seafront hotels. The neighbouring Japanese garden, just below the avenue, offers a quiet pause between two visits. From the Place du Casino, the Grimaldi Forum is a few minutes away by car.
Preparing your stay: accommodation, journeys, budget
Accommodation first: Monaco is compact, and any address in the Principality puts the fair a few minutes away. The Larvotto seafront lets you walk there; the Place du Casino and the Carré d'Or give you the heart of Monte-Carlo, its tables and its evenings. At the end of April, before the high season, rooms remain more accessible than in summer, but the finer categories go early. Our guide Where to Stay During Art Monte-Carlo? compares the options one by one.
Journeys next: Monaco has no airport. You arrive at Nice Côte d'Azur, about twenty kilometres away, then continue by helicopter, in about seven minutes, or by road, in half an hour outside peak traffic. Our guide How to Get to Art Monte-Carlo? explains how it all fits together. Budget last: it is set on quote, element by element — address, length of stay, transport, chauffeurs, evenings, size of party.
And one rule that applies throughout: what matters is booked early. For the end of April 2027, the winter is the right window; a few weeks before the fair, you work with what remains.
Key points to remember
Art Monte-Carlo is held at the Grimaldi Forum from 22 to 24 April 2027 and brings together some thirty modern and contemporary art galleries. Tickets are sold online by the fair; invitations to the private view cannot be bought. The private experience is composed around it: the city's galleries, the museum, fine tables, evenings through private channels subject to availability, all backed by logistics that take account of a small city and a nearby airport. TGZ Conciergerie, an independent house based in Paris, with no affiliation with Art Monte-Carlo, Palexpo, Informa, the Grimaldi Forum or the galleries, and with no official status, orchestrates the entire stay. Every stay is quoted on request, with availability and conditions confirmed before any commitment.
Frequently asked questions
According to the organiser, from Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 April 2027, at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. The 2027 opening hours and private-view date will be published later.
Palexpo, a company based near Geneva, within the Informa group; since 2026, the fair has been part of Informa Prestige, the group's luxury division. It is placed under the high patronage of the Sovereign Prince.
No. Long held in July — the 2025 edition took place on 8 and 9 July — it moved to the spring in 2026, the summer being judged unsuitable, with a dispersed public. The 2027 edition confirms this spring calendar.
Some thirty, according to the organiser. The 2026 edition brought together twenty-six, the 2025 edition twenty-five; the 2027 list will be published as the fair approaches.
An afternoon is enough to cover all the stands and the curated section. Many collectors return a second time, to see a work again or attend a conversation. Two to three days in Monaco leave time for the city and the coast.
Every stay is quoted on request, because it is composed: a couple spending two nights on the Place du Casino with a chauffeur does not call for the same quote as a villa stay with receptions. What makes the budget vary: the length of stay, the address and category of accommodation, a scheduled flight or a private jet, the helicopter, the number of chauffeur days, the evenings, the size of your party and how early you book.
No. TGZ Conciergerie is an independent house, with no affiliation with Art Monte-Carlo, Palexpo, Informa, the Grimaldi Forum or the exhibiting galleries, and with no official status. We compose stays — accommodation, transport, chauffeurs, tables, evenings — and arrange the purchase of tickets in your name where possible, without reselling tickets or promising invitations.
Take it further
Your Art Monte-Carlo is prepared now
Tell us how you want to experience the fair — the galleries, the conversations, the museums, the tables, the evenings — and we compose the complete stay: room or villa, flights or private jet, helicopter, chauffeurs, access requests subject to availability. A single point of contact, a quote built element by element, availability and conditions confirmed before any commitment.