This week, art world cognoscenti reconvened for the opening of Frieze London at the city’s Regent’s Park. 130 galleries, ranging from megas to smaller-scale outfits, brought presentations spotlighting established artists like Gerhard Richter and Louise Borgeois, as well as more emerging artists. This year’s edition of the fair, its twentieth, was actually smaller than 2022, when 160 galleries participated.
Frieze, owned by US-based media and entertainment company Endeavor since 2016, has pledged to grow its fairs. Earlier this year, the company acquired EXPO Chicago and the Armory Show and it recently held its second edition of Frieze Seoul.
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In the days leading up to Frieze’s VIP preview on Wednesday, Hamas launched an assault on southern Israel, leading the country to initiate a bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip. Yet, even as the news rang heavy over the trade event, it did little to interrupt business. Transactions at Frieze moved at a steady pace, as galleries reported collectors purchasing works at competitive price points mostly in the six-figures; only a select few reached the low millions.
In a statement, Ivan Wirth, Hauser and Wirth’s president, said “astute” collectors are becoming less fixated on younger artists and more are shifting attention back towards the practices of late-career or deceased artists with “radical” qualities.
Established figures like Wolfgang Tilmans, Antony Gormley, John Akomfrah, Barbara Chase-Riboud and Tracey Emin were among the critical darlings who surfaced at the fair. Alongside them were curators like Christopher Bedford, Nicola Lees; Sohrab Mohebbi; Clara Kim; Alexandra Munroe and Robert Rosenkranz; Maria Balshaw; Alex Farquharson; Hans Ulrich Obrist.
Source: artnews.com