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.
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.
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Josh Smith, Gerhard Richter, Rose Wylie at David Zwirner
In the opening hours of Frieze London on Wednesday, David Zwirner reported steady sales for paintings, sculptures, and photographs by big names on its roster. A painting by Gerhard Richter sold for $650,000, meanwhile two bronze sculptures made this year by Josh Smith went for $600,000 and $200,000 respectively. Others by Rose Wylie, Oscar Murillo, Shio Kusaka, and Frank Walter sold at prices between $35,000 and $400,000. Works by photographer Wolfgang Tilmans and and rising painter Portia Zvavahera were sold at undisclosed prices.
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Louis Nevelson, Paulina Olowska at Pace
For its presentation at Frieze Masters, a part of the London fair focused on artists active in the 20th century, Pace sold multiple pieces by Louise Nevelson. The gallery reported that a sculpture by the artist sold for $2 million to an undisclosed buyer. Another sculpture by the Polish painter and photographer Paulina Olowska dated from this year sold for $250,000 to a European foundation and is set to be loaned for the artist’s forthcoming exhibition at Pace’s London location opening next month. Meanwhile, a painting by Adam Pendleton sold for $150,000. An additional eight sculptures by Arlene Shechet were sold in the early hours of the fair for $65,000 each.
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Georg Baselitz, Martha Jungwirth at Thaddaeus Ropac
For its presentation, dealer Thaddaeus Ropac, who operates locations in London, Paris, and Salzburg also saw success across the gallery’s wide-ranging roster. Two paintings by Georg Baselitz, a German artist who has worked with Ropac since the 1990s, went for €1.2 million and €75,000, respectively. Four paintings by Malaysia-born, London-based artist Mandy El-Sayegh went for $115,000; three paintings by the Viennese painter Martha Jungwirth were sold for €320.000. Other works by Tony Cragg sold for €325,000 total; a work by Oliver Beer sold for £50,000; multiple paintings by Megan Rooney priced around €25,000 sold, as well as a sculpture by Erwin Wurm for €50,000.
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Louise Bourgeois, Jack Whitten at Hauser & Wirth
Among the top sales reported during Frieze was a sculpture by Louise Bourgeois that sold at Hauser & Wirth’s booth. The standing bronze and stainless-steel sculpture, the cast first produced in 1949 and editioned in 1990, went for $3 million. The price reflected the gallery’s description of the work as “rare” since it was made during an early period in Bourgeois’s career; others from the same series are held in multiple U.S. museum collections. A 1966 abstract painting by Jack Whitten titled Atlantis Rising, drawing on references to Greece, was among the standout works that was sold in Frieze’s contemporary section. It went for $950,000. Two other works on paper by Barbara Chase-Riboud sold for $120,000 each.
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Teresita Fernández, Nari Ward at Lehmann Maupin
For its presentation, Lehmann Maupin said it placed works with collections based in Hong Kong, the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, France, and Japan. Its biggest sale was for a $300,000 sculptural wall work by Teresita Fernández, who will be the subject of an exhibition at Site Santa Fe in 2024 alongside land artist Robert Smithson. The gallery also reported selling Restin’ Our Heart (2023), a copper panel work by New York-based artist Nari Ward for $250,000, to a prominent collector based in the US. The sale comes ahead of Ward’s forthcoming solo exhibition at the gallery’s London location opening next month. Another work by Tammy Nguyen sold for $100,000 to a Tate board member. Meanwhile, works by Loriel Beltrán, Mandy El-Sayegh, Rogelio Báez Vega, and Cecilia Vicuña sold for prices between $50,000 and $70,000.
