The Cosmoscow Foundation for Contemporary Art announces the winner of its 2026 Collector of the Year award

Zoya Galeeva, founder of the Geometry Foundation, philanthropist, and patron of the arts, has been named the winner of the Cosmoscow Foundation’s Collector of the Year award and will present her collection as part of the special Collector’s Eye project  at the Timiryazev Centre. The 14th edition of the Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair will take place on September 4–6, 2026 (Preview on September 3). Cosmoscow is supported by General Partner Sber: GigaChat and Sber Private Banking, Automobile Partner VOYAH, and companies including Hutton, MR, ēdomo, Lamoda, Beluga, Tête de Cheval, 12 STOREEZ, Azbuka Vkusa, Konstantin Chaykin, Geltek, Mistral, Chupa-Chups, Kids Program’s partner Kangaroo, The Carlton, Moscow, Blessed Mess, Moscow Medicine, the official Insurance Partner SberInsurance and the Official Water company edis.

The winner of the Collector of the Year award was selected by a vote of applications submitted by representatives of Russian galleries participating in the 2025 Cosmoscow fair. According to the award’s terms, the nominee must possess a contemporary art collection and be actively involved in public activities based on it, such as organizing exhibitions, educational programs, or charitable initiatives. The winner will also traditionally be given the opportunity to exhibit their collection in the curated Collector’s Eye exhibition at the fair.

“The Collector of the Year Award is an opportunity to highlight people who not only acquire works of art but also, through their passion, knowledge, and activities, contribute to the development of the entire artistic community. Collecting fosters a deeper connection between people and art while simultaneously supporting artists, galleries, and institutions. The award is part of the Cosmoscow Foundation for Contemporary Art and is being held for the second time this year. It is especially important for us to recognize Zoya Galeeva, for whom collecting has become part of her cultural and charitable work,” says Margarita Pushkina, Director and Founder of the Cosmoscow institutional platform.

This year’s exhibition, entitled “Visiting a Collector,” will draw on the collection of Zoya Galeeva and Andrey Babich and will allow fair visitors to see works selected by the collectors themselves, as well as explore their personal approach to building their collection.

“It was important to me not to create another conceptual exhibition, but to invite the viewer into a space where art lives alongside people. A collection is not just works, but also relationships, habits, memories, conversations, and the daily experience of living with art” says Zoya Galeeva.

Zoya Galeeva has emerged as a collector and philanthropist relatively recently, but in a short time, she has become a prominent figure in the contemporary cultural scene. Her approach to collecting and supporting cultural initiatives was one of the reasons why the Cosmoscow Foundation named her the Collector of the Year. This year, the New Collectors Foundation also recognized her, naming her a key young collector and supporting a special project at the Cosmoscow 2026 fair.

The project proposes viewing a private collection not as a formal collection of works of art, but as a reflection of the collector's personality and the space in which they live. The project’s concept is built around the idea that a private collection is always a story of the mutual influence of people and art. Works do not exist separately from their owner: they shape their everyday life, influence their lifestyle, social circle, and way of viewing the world. This is why the exhibition invites the viewer to literally visit a collector and see the works not in a sterile exhibition space, but in an environment where they coexist with their owner.

The exhibition features works by Russian and international artists from the collection, including Irina Nakhova, Evgeny Antufiev, Irina Korina, Olga and Oleg Tatarintsev, Ilya Kabakov and Viktor Pivovarov, as well as Martina Grlić and Ishmael Randall-Weeks.

The stand also features works by Brazilian designers from the WE Gallery collection. These include a table by Lucas Recchia, a bench by Domingos Totora, and a console table by Gustavo Bittencourt.

Media accreditation and tickets to the fair are now available on the fair’s official website.