Frieze Art Fair

Frieze Art Fair under construction in Regent's Park, in 2009.

Frieze Art Fair is an international contemporary art fair that takes place every October in London's Regent's Park. The fair is staged by Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, the publishers of frieze magazine. Frieze Art Fair features more than 170 contemporary art galleries, and the fair also includes specially commissioned artists’ projects, a talks programme and an artist-led education schedule.

Since 2014, the magazine has also been running a New York edition, on Randall's Island.[1]

Background

Although staged for the purpose of selling work, the fair has become a cultural entertainment event and out of its 68,000 visitors[2] it has been suggested that 80% attend purely to spectate.[3] The fair also commissions artist projects and holds a programme of talks.

Frieze Art Fair released sales figures following the first three fairs. However, Sharp and Slotover came to regard such results to be misleading and inaccurate, as many sales are completed post-fair, and many galleries choose to keep their sales figures private. From 2006 the fair has not released sales figures.[2]

In 2008, Deutsche Bank was the main sponsor of Frieze Art Fair for the fifth consecutive year.

In 2010, Matthew Slotover, co-founder of the fair, debated whether "art fairs are about money" with Louisa Buck, Matthew Collings, and Jasper Joffe for the motion and against the motion Norman Rosenthal, Richard Wentworth, Matthew Slotover.[4] Joffe claims that his criticisms of Frieze Art Fair led to his work being banned from the fair in 2010.[5]

In May 2011, Slotover and Sharp announced the launch of two new art fairs – Frieze New York, and Frieze Masters.[6] [7]

Since the mid-2000s, auction houses Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips have expanded their mid-season contemporary sales that coincided with Frieze London.[8]

Facts

Frieze Art Fair 2003

Frieze Art Fair 2004

Frieze Art Fair 2005

Frieze Art Fair 2006

Frieze Art Fair 2007

Dog Breeder by Andrew Litten, exhibited during Frieze Art Fair 2007

Frieze Art Fair 2008

Frieze Art Fair 2009

Frieze Art Fair 2010

Frieze Art Fair 2011

Frieze Masters' sign, 2014. Held by coincidence near the site of the long gone Master of Regent's Park's house.

Frieze Art Fair 2012

Frieze Art Fair 2013

Frieze Art Fair 2014

Frieze Art Fair 2015

The fair was on 14 to 17 October.

Frieze New York 2016

In 2016, David Horvitz hired a pickpocket to place sculptures in the pockets of attendees of the annual Frieze Art Fair. This was part of “Frieze Projects” a program of 6 commissioned interactive activities at the fair. Said Horvitz, “Imagine how much money is concentrated there, among collectors and galleries—and then there’s this person walking around who’s basically a trained thief,” [15]

Frieze Sculpture Park

The Frieze Sculpture Park has been curated since 2012 by Clare Lilley of Yorkshire Sculpture Park,[16] with historic pieces joining the contemporary collection.

Outset / Frieze Art Fair Fund to benefit the Tate Collection

Outset Contemporary Art Fund was founded by Candida Gertler and Yana Peel in 2003 as a philanthropic organisation dedicated to supporting new art. The charitable foundation focuses on bringing private funding from its supporters and trustees to public museums, galleries, and art projects. In 2003, Outset established the world's first acquisitions fund connected to an art fair. This ongoing collaboration with Tate and Frieze proved to be a cornerstone in the foundation's programme of institutional acquisitions.

With a fund of over £775,000, 72 works by 45 significant international artists have been collected since 2003.

See also

Notes and references

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