Frieze London & Masters 2021 closed yesterday Sunday 17th October with reports of strong sales and praise for the positive mood across all five days of the fair. The event saw strong international attendance, with sold-out tickets across the week, bringing together galleries, institutions, artists, and arts organizations for a safe and successful week.
‘It was a joyous moment to see everyone come together after so long. This year’s fairs are the result of two years of thinking about new models, hybrid events, the opening of No.9 Cork Street and the launch of our membership programme – all those conversations have now come to fruition. We are grateful to our participating galleries for all rising to the challenge and joining us to celebrate everything London has to offer.’
Eva Langret, Director of Frieze London
In line with this year’s reduced capacity, Frieze London and Frieze Masters attracted 80,000 visitors and featured over 290 galleries, showing across both fairs as well as via Frieze’s online platform, Frieze Viewing Room. The fairs’ celebrated curated programme was led by Unworlding, a section of Frieze London curated by Cédric Fauq (Chief Curator, CAPC musée d’art contemporain de Bordeau) and Stand Out at Frieze Masters, curated by Luke Syson (Director of Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge). Hybrid programming included LIVE, curated by Languid Hands (Rabz Lansiquot and Imani Robinson) and both Frieze London and Frieze Masters talks series. This year’s fairs were also accompanied by the launch of Frieze’s new hub for galleries, No.9 Cork Street and the London roll-out of Frieze’s new membership scheme.
Early sales at Frieze London included Stephen Friedman Gallery’s sold-out booth of works by Deborah Roberts priced at $125,000 – 150,000, which was followed by quick reports of sales from Xavier Hufkens including a large bronze by Tracey Emin for £350,000, two works on paper by Louise Bourgeois at $100,000- $250,000, and a work on paper by Paul McCarthy in the range of $200,000. David Zwirner also sold out their booth on day one, including five paintings by Michaël Borremans from $180,000-$600,000, four sculptures by Carol Bove at $300,000-$450,000, a major painting by Kerry James Marshall for $2,200,000 to an American collection, and Rose Wylie’s Pineapple 2021, featured in Frieze Sculpture, for $250,000.
Classic names found favour at Hauser & Wirth, who sold a Günther Förg painting priced at €1,500,000 and Louise Bourgeois fabric sculpture of a couple embracing for $2,400,000, as well as a watercolour by Charles Gaines at $350,000 and a painting by Gary Simmons for $200,000. In the early hours of the fair Pace Gallery sold a Robert Longo for $650,000 to a private UK collection and a work by Loie Hollowell for $175,000, amongst others. Showing in both Frieze London and Frieze Masters, Thaddaeus Ropac sold works including an Antony Gormley for £400,000, a work by Alex Katz for $950,000; four works by Georg Baselitz ranging from €75,000-€1,200,000 million, amongst others. White Cube sold two works by Theaster Gates for $500,000 each, a work by Park Seo-Bo for $360,000, a work by Mona Hatoum for £175,000 and works by Antony Gormley for £400,000. Interest was seen for moving-image work too, with Lisson Gallery selling Garrett Bradley’s film, AKA priced at $35,000 to a private institution.
‘The buzz at Frieze shows the indomitable resilience and vibrancy of London as an art capital. We sold 17 works in the opening hours of the fairs including a spectacular David Smith hanging sculpture for $1,500,000 at Masters and a Günther Förg painting for €1,500,000 at Frieze London. Collectors are seeking out outstanding calibre with further sales including works by Charles Gaines, Louise Bourgeois, Gary Simmons, Paul McCarthy, Thomas J Price, Takesada Matsutani, François Morellet and Pipilotti Rist and Marlene Dumas. Frieze Week goes beyond the fair, it is a catalyst moment and collectors are in town to see our George Condo show and the Sophie Taeuber-Arp retrospective on show at Tate Modern.’
Iwan Wirth
Solo stands were a major draw with Gagosian selling all their paintings from their showing of Jennifer Guidi in the early hours of the fair. David Kordansky Gallery also sold all seven paintings by the LA-based Lucy Bull for prices between $25,000-$85,000. Seventeen also sold all works from their solo presentation of Erin O’Keefe. Participating in the Unworlding section of Frieze London, Tanya Leighton sold all works from Esteban Jefferson’s series of paintings at prices ranging from $25,000 to $55,000.
Frieze Masters also attracted major interest from collectors with David Hockney’s California Interior (1986) sold for $3,750,000 at the Paul Coulon / Eykyn Maclean booth. Dr Jörn Günther Rare Books placed a selection of The Books of Hours priced between €600,000 and €1,300,000 and two significant books by Albrecht Dürer with private collections in the early moments of the fair. David Zwirner sold works by Ad Reinhardt, Josef Albers, Paul Klee, and Yayoi Kusama for between $500,000-$1,100,000. Hauser & Wirth solds works by David Smith for $1,500,000, a work by François Morellet for €500,000; a work by Marlene Dumas for $450,000; two works by Sophie Taeuber-Arp; and a work by Dieter Roth for $180,000 to a US Museum. David Aaron sold the recently discovered Ryedale Roman Bronzes to the Yorkshire Museum, for an undisclosed sum, while Amir Mohtashemi sold a number of Chinese ceramics including a pair of Albarelli (Drug Jar) with Lids.
‘It was so nice to return to Frieze Masters in person. We have had our most successful edition of the fair yet and are looking forward to participating again next year.’
Alma Luxembourg of Luxembourg + Co
Luxembourg + Co also found early success, selling all their works from a solo booth of work by Giosetta Fioroni. Further sales at Frieze Masters included Christo’s Yellow Store Front (Project) (1964) for a price between £150,000-£250,000 at Colnaghi; Gallery Wendi Norris sold a number of works from a solo presentation of Alice Rahon, ranging from $35,000 – $750,000. Showing in the Spotlight section of the fair, Ronchini sold all works from their presentation of Luigi Boille.
Maureen Paley remarked:
‘This year’s Frieze London far exceeded my expectations. It has been wonderful to connect with everyone we missed over the past 18 months. London felt alive with the energy generated by the fair and all that happens in its wake. We saw interest in all our artists but were particularly pleased to donate a work by Wolfgang Tillmans (Lignin Duress, 2014) and arrange a sale that benefited the Gallery Climate Coalition.’
2021 stand prizes Frieze London featured two awards recognizing exceptional presentations at the fair.
mor charpentier was selected as the winner of the Frieze Stand Prize by a jury composed of industry leaders, Sam Thorne (Director, Nottingham Contemporary) Yesomi Umolu (Director Of Curatorial Affairs and Public Practice, Serpentine) and Alistair Hudson (Director, Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery at The University of Manchester), for their curated booth featuring the artists Teresa Margolles, Daniel Otero Torres, Hajra Waheed, Bouchra Khalili, Charwei Tsai, Bianca Bondi, Liliana Porter, Paz Errázuriz, Daniel Correa Mejia and Cheng Ching Yuan.
In the Focus section of the fair, Sophie Tappeiner won the Prize for their sculptural installation by Jala Wahid as selected by a jury featuring Irene Aristizábal (Curatorial & Public Practice, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art), Edward Gillman (Director, Auto Italia) and Jeppe Ugelvig (Independent Curator and Critic). Focus is a section of the fair that features ambitious curated shows of new work, by galleries active for 12 years or less, forming a critical arena for up-and-coming gallery programmes from around the world.
