Frieze Art Fair is an annual contemporary art fair first held in 2003 in London's Regent's Park. Developed by the founders of the contemporary art magazine Frieze, the fair has since expanded to include editions in four cities, in addition to acquiring several other art fairs. Following the original Frieze Art Fair (also referred to as Frieze London), the fair added Frieze Masters (2012), also in London, dedicated to art made before the year 2000; Frieze New York (2012); Frieze Los Angeles (2019); and Frieze Seoul (2022). In 2023, Frieze acquired The Armory Show in New York, and EXPO Chicago. In 2016, American holding company Endeavor acquired a majority stake in Frieze.

History

Frieze magazine was launched in 1991 by Amanda Sharp, Matthew Slotover, and artist Tom Gidley. The magazine was initially conceived of as an alternative to more established art publications like Artforum, and drew contributors like Hilton Als, Peter Schjeldahl, and Lynne Tillman. In 2003, Slotover and Sharp parted ways with Gidley and launched Frieze Art Fair. Early editions of the fair saw steady increases in attendance, rising from 27,700 at the first fair to 105,000 in 2016. Frieze has been noted for being among the first art fairs to implement practices like commissioning works from artists and holding artist talks during the fair. Multiple writers have stated that the original Frieze Art Fair helped unite London's art scene, which was gaining in prominence after significant investments in institutions like the Tate Modern. Despite high attendance, it was suggested in 2006 that only 20% of the fair's 68,000 visitors intend to buy work. Frieze stopped self-reporting sales figures in 2006, claiming that the figures were not accurate given that many sales happen in private or following the end of the fair's run. In 2007, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise booth at Frieze was transformed into a flea market, showcasing the fair's willingness to embrace immersive art experiences. Since the mid-2000s, auction houses like Christie's, Sotheby's and Phillips have expanded their mid-season contemporary sales to coincide with Frieze London. In 2010, Slotover participated in a formal debate at London's Saatchi Gallery with artists including Jasper Joffe on the subject of whether "art fairs are about money." Joffe claimed that his criticisms of Frieze and Slotover led to his work being banned from the fair that year. In May 2011, Slotover and Sharp announced the launch of two new art fairs, Frieze New York and Frieze Masters, with their first editions occurring in 2012, directed by Victoria Siddall. Frieze Masters, held concurrently to the original Frieze Art Fair, comprises art made before the year 2000. In 2014, as Global Director, Siddall launched Freize's fairs in Los Angeles, New York, and London. In 2016, American talent agency and holding group Endeavor acquired a 70% controlling stake in the Frieze brand, including the magazine and art fairs. Following the acquisition, Slotover and Sharp continued to lead the company until 2020 when Simon Fox, a former media executive at Reach plc, was named CEO, overseeing all publications and fairs. In 2017, Hauser & Wirth invited classics scholar Mary Beard to open a fake museum at Frieze consisting of artifacts bought on ebay. In 2019, the fair expanded again with the addition of Frieze Los Angeles, followed by Frieze Seoul in 2022. Writers have compared Frieze's presence in Los Angeles and Seoul to its original presence in London, noting the similarities in both cities' art scenes to London's art scene in 2003, as both cities are considered to be rising in importance in the art world. Frieze acquired two additional, local art fairs in 2023: The Armory Show in New York, and EXPO Chicago. Both fairs will continue to operate under their independent brands.

Fairs

Frieze Art Fair 2003

Frieze Art Fair 2004

Frieze Art Fair 2005

Frieze Art Fair 2006

Frieze Art Fair 2007

Frieze Art Fair 2008

Frieze Art Fair 2009

Frieze Art Fair 2010

Frieze Art Fair 2011

Frieze Art Fair 2012

Frieze Art Fair 2013

Frieze Art Fair 2014

Frieze Art Fair 2015

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,”

Frieze Art Fair 2017

Frieze Art Fair 2018

Frieze Art Fair 2019

Frieze Los Angeles 2019

Frieze New York 2020

Frieze Art Fair 2021

Frieze Masters Art Fair 2021

Frieze New York 2021

Frieze Seoul 2022

Frieze New York 2023

Frieze Seoul 2023

Frieze Seoul 2024

Frieze Sculpture Park

The Frieze Sculpture Park has been curated since 2012 by Clare Lilley of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 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 organization 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 program of institutional acquisitions.

Notes and references