One of the biggest events on Australia's contemporary art calendar has replaced a long-running major commission for new art.
Established in 2006, the Melbourne Art Foundation Commission Program contributed to funding major new work presented at the Melbourne Art Fair, which runs until Sunday at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Instead, the fair is presenting an inaugural $150,000 design commission by Melbourne-based designer Anna Varendorff, also supported by the National Gallery of Victoria.
The fair's capacity to commission new art depended on its budget and the support of art institutions, said fair director Melissa Loughnan.
"We have a small team, small budget, and the focus went into the NGV design commission this year," she said.
"We think every year about how we use our funds and how we can best support artist practices, and that's how it translated this year, but it's not to say that there won't be other future large-scale commissions," said Loughnan.
The presentation of existing artworks by Judith Wright, Brenda L. Croft, and Fiona Hall have also been funded by the foundation in 2026.
There's a video art section, and a $55,000 botanical installation by Hattie Malloy and other female artists, in the fair's VIP section.
Even for the most successful artists, commissions are vital for the production of large-scale new works, which may not find a buyer on the commercial market.
In 2024, one of Australia's most influential feminist artists, Julie Rrap, unveiled a sculpture created thanks to a $100,000 commission from the foundation, also funded by the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
The 2025 art commission program saw a video of melting coloured pigment by Dawn Ng, and a tubular steel installation by Yona Lee.
Being a contemporary art fair, it's all on show under the watchful eye of a giant inflatable rabbit, an artwork titled Cosmo McMurtry by New Zealand sculptor Michael Parekōwhai.
It was originally created for the 2006 fair with the National Gallery of Victoria, and its return marks the 20th anniversary of the commissioning program.
The fair is one of the biggest events for Australia's contemporary art market, with sales of more than $14 million in 2025.
Just on 60 galleries are participating in 2026, fewer than in past years, alongside 20 designers in a section dedicated to high-end contemporary design.
The fair opened to record attendance on Thursday, with tickets for the first day selling out, and various acquisitions by state and regional institutions.
"It was very buoyant, a very full room, a lot of excitement in the air, and overall, a lot of galleries reporting very successful sales," Loughnan said.
Several booths, including Melbourne's Sophie Gannon Gallery, Tiwi Islands art centre Jilamara Arts, and West Australia's Emilia Galatis Projects, sold all the work they had on offer.
Sydney's Justin Miller Art also sold significant works by Sidney Nolan, Charles Blackman and Robert Klippel.
