This July, the legendary Pavillon of Art & Design (PAD) stakes its claim on the high summer season, bringing its unparalleled curatorial eye to the Côte d’Azur from July 2–5, 2026.
For the uninitiated, PAD has spent nearly three decades establishing itself as the premier crossroads for historical and contemporary design. But while its sister fairs in Paris and London demand the structure of autumn wools and spring trenches, PAD Saint-Tropez offers something entirely different.
The fair’s setting is a masterclass in atmospheric contrast. PAD will occupy the historic Salle Jean-Despas, positioned squarely on the legendary Place des Lices, the undisputed epicenter of Saint-Tropez life.
Step outside, and you are surrounded by the rhythmic, old-world clinking of pétanque boules under the shade of ancient plane trees. Step inside, and you are instantly transported into a hyper-refined, museum-quality sanctuary of functional sculpture and 20th-century masterworks. It is an effortless transition from a morning at the Ramatuelle beach clubs to an afternoon of serious acquiring.
With a tightly edited roster of around twenty premier French and international galleries, PAD Saint-Tropez focuses on intimacy over exhaustion. Instead of overwhelming corridors, visitors are treated to a highly specific, curated dialogue between eras.
Read on to find out which names you should prioritise on your itinerary.
Vadim Kibardin
Vadim Kibardin is a prominent, environmentally-conscious artist and designer renowned for his innovative, handcrafted functional sculptures.
Kibardin shapes each of his pieces completely by hand without the use of molds, utilising recycled cardboard, paper, and custom organic glues. Blending the boundaries between art, furniture, and environmental activism, Kibardin’s presence at PAD Saint-Tropez highlights a modern craving for the beautifully imperfect, human-centric touch of analogue craftsmanship in a digital age.
Look for his groundbreaking Black Paper series, featuring incredibly detailed, functional sculptures meticulously crafted entirely from recycled cardboard and paper.
VADIM KIBARDIN, BLACK MIRROR COIFFEUSE, 2022
Jesse Visser
Visser is a distinguished Dutch designer and artist celebrated for his highly poetic, yet sober, functional sculptures that continuously challenge traditional production techniques.
Specialising in furniture and statement lighting, Visser breaks down complex forms to their absolute essence, frequently utilising polished brass, anodised aluminium, and industrial stainless steel to manipulate reflection and atmosphere.
By combining sharp, structural craftsmanship with rich narrative details, Visser’s minimalist aesthetic bridges the gap between historical references and modern industrial innovation, creating collectible design that requires physical human interaction to fully complete its narrative.
JESSE VISSER, BEACON OF LIGHT. SMOKY QUARTZ, 2025
Anselm Reyle
Reyle is an internationally acclaimed German contemporary artist celebrated for his large-scale, multimedia works that playfully disrupt the boundaries between high art, decoration, and consumer culture.
Influenced by Berlin’s post-war functionalist architecture and energetic punk scene, Reyle’s practice famously recontextualises everyday materials, subverting the formalist traditions of 20th-century abstraction with a distinct nod to kitsch and glamour.
Featuring works that merge tactile, coarse burlap canvases with three-dimensional, mirrored chrome brushstrokes, Reyle’s presentation effortlessly walks the tightrope between fine art and industrial artifact, offering a dazzling critique of global capitalism and modern taste.
Anselm Reyle, Untitled (71886), details, 2025, mixed media on canvas
Julia Muñoz Portuondo
Julia Muñoz Portuondo is an acclaimed Spanish artist and jeweller who masterfully blends the worlds of antiquarian connoisseurship and high-end wearable sculpture.
Having built a distinguished career as a decorative arts specialist in Paris, she shifted her focus to jewellery design, treating each creation as a miniature, autonomous piece of fine art.
At PAD Saint-Tropez, her exceptional talent is on full display as an individual exhibitor, where she introduces audiences to her deeply expressive collections. Crafting each unique piece entirely by hand without the use of moulds, Muñoz utilises the ancient, meticulous technique of lost-wax casting. Her signature bronze forms, beautifully finished with rich gold plating and punctuated by carefully chosen precious and semi-precious gemstones, serve as deeply personal, tactile translations of human emotion and memory.
Yves Klein
Klein remains one of the most influential and radical pioneers of post-war European avant-garde art, best remembered for his quest to capture the immateriality of pure space and the infinite.
A leading figure of the French Nouveau Réalisme movement, Klein famously developed and patented his own vibrant, ultramarine hue known as International Klein Blue (IKB), which became his ultimate artistic signature. At PAD Saint-Tropez, his enduring legacy and profound impact on minimal and conceptual art are spotlighted by the prestigious Opera Gallery. Showcasing iconic historic masterpieces, ranging from his mesmerising monochrome compositions to his legendary functional design sculptures like the pigment-filled Table IKB, Klein's presentation offers a striking contrast to contemporary works, reminding audiences of his revolutionary role in bridging the gap between fine art, performance, and cosmic philosophy.
Seeing his iconic, deep international Klein Blue works against a Saint-Tropez backdrop will undoubtedly be a highlight of the fair for many.
Yves Klein, La grande Anthropométrie bleue (ANT 105), Dry pigment and synthetic resin on paper, mounted on canvas, 9 feet 2 1/4 inches x 14 feet 1/2 inch (280 x 428 cm)
Anastasiya Pribelskaya
Pribelskaya utilises the precision of the lampworking technique to sculpt exquisite, life-sized botanical forms out of glass.
Methodically shaping heated glass rods, she captures the ephemeral lifecycle of northern wildflowers, from the vulnerable, furled buds to the delicate anatomy of their eventual withering. At PAD Saint-Tropez 2026, her highly intricate sculptures shift the traditional human-centric perspective, casting often-overlooked flora as autonomous, vital protagonists rather than passive decoration.
Through these fragile, translucent compositions, Pribelskaya evokes a profound sense of poetic meditation, asking her audience to re-examine humanity’s place within the wider ecosystem and to appreciate the quiet strength of the natural world.
ANASTASIA PRIBELSKAYA, CAMPANULA, 2025, Murano and Bohemian glass, enamel, 35 x 30 x 30 cm
Ultimately, what makes PAD Saint-Tropez the defining event of the summer calendar isn't just the museum-grade caliber of the work on display, it is the sheer ease with which it is experienced. There are no frantic schedules here, no fluorescent lights, and absolutely no corporate stiffness.
To navigate the fair like a seasoned habitué, time your visit for the late afternoon. Stroll through the Salle Jean-Despas just as the fierce midday heat breaks, allowing the shifting coastal light to catch the edges of Pribelskaya’s glasswork and the deep brilliance of Klein’s blues.
It is a fleeting, four-day window where the boundaries between inside and outside, historic masterwork and contemporary vanguard, completely dissolve. Once you’ve made your acquisitions, simply step back out onto the cobblestones of the Place des Lices, slip your sunglasses back on, and head toward the harbor for a well-deserved sunset aperitif.
Image credit: Mia Karlova Galerie, Opera Gallery, Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa, PADesignart, The Design Release
