During American Art Week 2026!
Boundless Horizons
IAC’s 30th Annual American Art Conference
May 14 – 16, 2026
Heritage Auctions
445 Park Ave.
New York, NY
Boundless Horizons, IAC’s 30th annual American Art Conference (May 14 – May 16, 2026) takes place at Heritage Auctions in New York City. Since 1996, IAC’s annual Conference has been the premier gathering of collectors, curators, dealers, museum professionals, academics, artists and all others interested in American art. It has been at the forefront of critical inquiry in the field, pushing the boundaries of accepted thinking and spotlighting pioneering perspectives.
Celebrating three decades of inquiry and America’s semi-quincentennial, the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States, IAC revisits the notion of the “horizon” a concept that has been central to American cultural identity and to American art. Transcending limits and challenging artificial divides right up until today, this long tradition of pushing against boundaries reveals a powerful truth: that our art links us to our past, informs our present, and points us toward a future that is ours to define.
In compelling and wide-ranging talks and panel discussions, we’ll explore how American art continues to transcend conventions in form, subject matter, and media, and has gone beyond the traditional tropes of pilgrims, cowboys and pioneers, while pushing the limits of inspiration and approach. Finally, we’ll consider the frame and how it can both express an artist’s intentions and affect our experience of the work.
Conference attendees will attend a private preview and reception for the American Art sale at Heritage Auctions and received an invitation to the Gala Opening of the American Art Fair at the land-marked Bohemian National Hall.
Participants will also attend an exclusive viewing of “The Founders of American Abstract Artists, a 90th Anniversary Celebration” at D. Wigmore Fine Arts, featuring paintings, reliefs, sculptures, collages, and drawings from 1935 – 1945 by members of the group. Formed in 1936, the American Abstract Artists group saw its mission as creating exhibition opportunities for artists committed to abstraction at a
time when American Scenic and narrative imagery dominated American art.
The 2026 Conference (May 14 – 16) coincides with the American Art Fair (May 16 – 19), TEFAF New York (May 15 – 19) and Frieze Art Fair (May 13 – 17) and is made possible by Leadership Funding from O’Brien Art Foundation and Anchor Sponsorship from Heritage Auctions.
Join us for an absorbing exploration of the “boundless horizons” that inspire and define American artists who have pushed through and beyond conventional borders in search of new horizons. With respect to technique, subject, and medium, American Art has persisted in a relentless quest into uncharted territory. Reaching the end of one vista only reveals another, larger terra incognita.
We gratefully acknowledge Leadership Funding for Boundless Horizons from O’Brien Art Foundation and Anchor Sponsorship from Heritage Auctions.
We are grateful as well for funding from CollisArt LLC; CW American Modernism; D. Wigmore Fine Art; James Dicke II; Kenneth R. Woodcock; Lincoln Glen; the Steven Alan Bennett Foundation; and anonymous donors (as of May 1, 2025).
We are deeply grateful for the media sponsorship provided by The Magazine ANTIQUES, and American Fine Art Magazine.
