Fresh Talent Attracts Attention At London’s Frieze Art Fair
● The busier-than-ever fair proved many collectors see art as a relatively stable and safe investment.
LONDON — This year's Frieze art fair, which closed Saturday after five days in London's Regent's Park, was one hot ticket.
On Wednesday, people waited in a 30-minute line for the VIP preview, which drew guests including Princess Beatrice of York and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and Rishi Sunak, Britain's former Chancellor of the Exchequer and candidate for prime minister earlier this year. Sunak attended with his wife, Akshata Murthy.
Maria Sharapova was spotted checking out the The Modern Institute's booth with her husband Alexander Gilkes, while a pink-haired Jared Leto showed great interest in Andy Warhol's “Electric Chair” from the Death and Disaster series that the artist began in 1962.
According to Robert Diament, director of the Margate-based Carl Freedman Gallery, this year's Frieze was the busiest one he had ever experienced. The fair hosted more than 280 galleries from 46 countries.
“There were about four times more people than normal on Wednesday, and the next morning, it was the same. Normally a Thursday morning might be a bit quieter, but it's just so packed. I've never seen so many people at Frieze and there's a real thirst for collecting at the moment,” he said.
His gallery presented new works with an average price point between $15,000 and $20,000 by artists including Lindsey Mendick, Billy Childish, Jon Key and Benjamin Senior.
The gallery also showcased works by emerging artists such as Bianca Fields and Novot Miller for the first time. Diament said everything was sold out on the first day.
“Even before the fair opened we had huge interest, which I would say was double or three-quarters more than normal. There's definitely this hunger to buy art, particularly from emerging to midcareer artists. Most of the collectors we sell things to take a lot of interest in the stories behind the work.”
He added: “Perhaps people are also concerned with the money they have in other markets. Art is more of a safe place to put their money right now.”
Timothy Taylor, owner of his namesake galleries in London and New York, said this year's fair was more international than ever.
“The attendance this year has been very strong. Collectors from Asia,
America, and Europe have returned en masse, and we're glad to see so many familiar faces, as well as visitors whom we're meeting for the first time. London is bustling and you can feel the pent-up energy from people — some of whom are back in our museums and galleries for the first time in three years,” said Taylor, adding that visitors were particularly interested in new works by rising painters.
“Our Frieze presentation of lush, figurative paintings by the artist Sahara Longe presentation sold out on the first day of the fair,” Taylor added.
He said he is not too worried about the impact on the art market of the shrinking global economy, the weak pound, the rising cost of living, or the war in Ukraine. He said the art market has proven resilient over the past decade.
“Many collectors view art as a relatively stable and safe investment in the face of rising inflation. Sanctions and the war in Ukraine have certainly impacted Russian buying power, but the Russian collecting base had already virtually disappeared by 2014,” he said.
At Thaddaeus Ropac, works by emerging talents such as Alvaro Barrington and Rachel Jones were garnering a similar level of attention as a rare Robert Rauschenberg piece. Barrington's “Change the Game” piece sold for $145,000, while a piece from Jones' “Mike's Tooth” series fetched 120,000 pounds.
A spokesperson from the gallery, which has locations on London's Dover Street and in Paris, Salzburg, and Seoul, said Jones, 30, is “one of the hottest young artists of our time” and her prices have been rising over the last year.
For Dustyn Kim, chief revenue officer at the New York-based online art brokerage platform Artsy, this year's Frieze sparked “a clear sense of excitement across the collecting community.”
The platform, which features more than one million artworks from more than 4,000 galleries, auction houses, and institutions, will celebrate its 10-year anniversary later this year. It also plans to announce Artsy Vanguard, an annual list that recognizes some of the most promising early-career artists of today.
Kim said that one of the buzziest shows during the Frieze preview days was Gagosian's immersive solo exhibition by the young British artist Jadé Fadojutimi. It sold out before the end of the fair's VIP opening.
“It was also great to see Ethiopian artist Selome Muleta make her international fair debut this week with her striking works. We also continued to see exceptional works from artists like Niki de Saint
Phalle, Sahara Longe, Cecilia Vicuña, Teresita Fernández, and Ilona Keserü,” Kim added.
While the art market overall is flourishing, Kim noticed that some collectors are taking “a slightly more cautious approach — particularly those who are newer to collecting, or who have less disposable income.”
According to data compiled by Artsy, “collectors are paying close attention to price points, and [how] an artist's work is trending amid macroeconomic uncertainty.”
Young collectors were out in force, lingering at booths including Hauser & Wirth, White Cube and König Gallery.
Hauser & Wirth showcased Bourgeois' work “Untitled” from 2002. It was made with stripy fabric and aluminum, and appealed to fashion designers in particular.
Simone Rocha said the “caged tapestry head, and how it represents the inner psyche, is constantly inspirational,” while Han Chong of Self-Portrait said he was interested in taking the piece into his private collection.
For jeweler Nadine Ghosn, who designed a limited-edition wristband for VIPs in the membership program “Frieze 91,” there were many highlights.
“I had almost purchased a neon from Tracey Emin that just became available, ‘I want my time with you,'” said Ghosn.
“The most surprising piece that I came across — and that I fell in love with — was the marble can sculpture by Claudia Comte presented by König Gallery. It reminded me of a pop-up that I created a long time ago by using spray-painted cans to display my jewelry,” Ghosn said.
Frieze was the cornerstone of a busy week of art shows in London.
At Saatchi Gallery, the Irish-born urban artist known as Fin DAC took part in a group show, displaying works including “Punk Princess,” a take on the early designs of Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.
The overall show featured sculpture, urban art, painting, and mixed media by four U.K.-based artists — including Lauren Baker, Beth Cullen-Kerridge, and Alexander de Cadenet, in addition to
Fin DAC.
The National Gallery unveiled the first major exhibition of Lucian Freud's work in 10 years, showcasing paintings from more than seven decades. “Lucian Freud: New Perspectives” will run until Jan. 22.
The Royal Academy of Arts is staging a show of work by the South African artist William Kentridge. The Kentridge show is the latest in a series of single-artist blockbuster events by in the Main Galleries of the academy. Other artists on show have included Ai Weiwei, Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley.