Melbourne Art Fair’s 19th edition – its first to place a clear emphasis on design – has concluded with reports of record crowds.

Organisers say 20,000 visitors attended the 2026 Melbourne Art Fair (MAF), surpassing previous attendance records for the event, which brought together 60 Australian galleries and Indigenous-owned art centres at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 19 to 22 February. Alongside the fair’s annual display of contemporary art, the 19th iteration also saw the introduction of a collectible design salon, FUTUREOBJEKT, as well as an inaugural design commission.

MAF reports over 50 percent increase in attendance for the VIP Preview and Vernissage events, describing “thousands of collectors”.

“The opening day of the 2026 edition of Melbourne Art Fair has underscored the energy in the Australian market right now,” fair director Melissa Loughnan says.

FUTUREOBJEKT’s debut

The Fair’s director of collectible design Andy Kelly says the opening day heralded “the bold start of a new design experience in Australia”. 

Conceived by Melbourne Art Fair as a consistent platform for the “most compelling ideas” in contemporary design, architecture and the crafted objects, FUTUREOBJEKT brought together 20 leading Australian and international designers and studios. Exhibitors included Volker Haug Studio, Adam Goodrum, Oigåll Projects, Dean Norton, Dalton Stewart and Annie Paxton, Jordan Fleming, Tom Fereday and more.

“It’s quite humbling to have seen FUTUREOBJEKT be so enthusiastically embraced by the community,” Kelly said.

Fereday added that FUTUREOBJEKT helped to “soften” the traditional format of the Art Fair. 

“The design sensibility across the board creates a sense of intimacy and cohesion, and the elegant transitions between presentations makes the overall experience feel deeply considered,” he said.

Inaugural design commission unveiled

In 2025, MAF announced the introduction of the Melbourne Art Foundation x National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) Design Commission. 

The inaugural recipient, Melbourne-based artist and designer Anna Varendorff, unveiled her  commission at the fair, which spanned ceiling and ground. The most ambitious composition to date of her hallmark of tubular forms, Varendorff’s installation featured ceiling lights, suspended vases and monumental floor vessels. The piece will now enter the NGV’s collection.

An art and design affair

The Fair’s design touchpoints continued over to The Champagne Bollinger Bar, a collaboration with Melbourne Art Fair ambassador and leading interior designer Brahman Perera. The bar was conceived as a “sculptural insertion within the fair”.

The weekend also featured panel discussions, including one on Friday evening delving into the topic of ‘comfort’ to celebrate K5‘s 25-year history. Moderated by design editor and inside contributor Alice Blackwood, the panel comprised K5 CEO Erna Walsh, Helen Kontouris, Lisa Dethridge along with Broached Commissions’ Lou Weiss and Lincoln Perdrisat, who also designed the VIP lounge in which the informative and entertaining discussion took place as a ‘living archive of floral art’.

This article was updated with new attendance figures supplied on 24 February 2026.

Top image of Oigåll Projects installation at FUTUROBJEKT by Daniel Grima.

Related: ‘Fire, Water, Building’ exhibition now showing at Melbourne’s 3553 Gallery.