Frieze Los Angeles art fair opens with celebrity guests and big sales

A general view of atmosphere during the Los Angeles Frieze Art Fair press preview at Santa Monica Airport on February 29, 2024 in Santa Monica, California.

Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

The VIP opening day of Los Angeles’ Frieze art fair felt like a family affair, as Hollywood power brokers and art world elites gathered and mingled to view the best works from galleries around the world. . Held at the Santa Monica Airport for the second year in a row, the all-day event on Thursday, February 29 felt more joyful this year, as a new layout and 20 percent fewer galleries gave celebrities the space to examine and chat.

One couldn’t take a step without shaking the hand of an old friend or running into a group of Hollywood insiders. Old friends Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson, the first two incognito movie stars in baseball caps, chatted with LACMA director and CEO Michael Govan in front of a booth, while top agents and collectors of Endeavor, CAA and UTA were out. in force, some swarmed together in herds. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, walked around the fair with a remarkably affable air, greeting guests and looking at paintings and sculptures. Endeavor has a majority stake in Frieze, which also has art fairs in London, Seoul and New York.

WME co-president Richard Weitz, who was seen with jewelry designer Sheryl Lowe (her painting husband Rob Lowe was also at the show), spoke of the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles Frieze. “What a mystique Frieze has,” Weitz exclaimed, noting that it attracts “the who’s who of the art world and those onlookers just want to be a part of it.” He added: “A lot of it is already sold to begin with, but it’s always fun to see.”

Producer and writer Maria Bell, a prominent art patron, agreed. “I feel like it’s very exciting to have such a great show in Los Angeles,” she enthused. “Not only does it attract people from all over, but it unites the Los Angeles arts community like nothing else does. For years, we tried to have a successful fair here, and this is the perfect option and it is great.”

Other notable attendees included Robert Downey Jr. (who was seen wearing a green tracksuit and a multi-colored bucket hat), his wife Susan Downey, Leonardo DiCaprio (wearing a hat combined with a face mask), John C. Reilly, Jessica Biel, Tobey Maguire, Nancy Josephson and Dan Aloni of WME, Zachary Quinto, Anthony Kiedis, Joel Lubin of CAA, Jay Sures of UTA, Jon Feltheimer of Lionsgate, Sarah Gilbert, producer Michael Patrick King, Lisa Edelstein, Michael Ovitz wearing a sweatshirt black, The Edge, Jeremy Pope, furniture designer Alexandra Von Furstenberg, filmmaker Ronnie Sassoon, restaurateur and artist Michael Chow, designer Michael Smith, Simone Bent Garity and Troy Garity, Steve Tisch and Jamie Tisch.

For many at Frieze, the main goal of the day wasn’t socializing: it was art. “You see great historical works by artists like Kenny Price and people like that, and then there are new works by young artists,” Bell said. “It’s a great mix. “It’s really fantastic.” At Jeffery Deitch, Ryan Murphy, looking every bit the serious collector in a long black coat and sunglasses, along with his art advisor Joe Sheftel, were seen closely examining a silver self-portrait bust made by artist Isabelle Albuquerque, as part of his series Orgy for ten people in one body.

Minutes later, Albuquerque and her mother, legendary artist Lita Albuquerque, approached Deitch’s booth, a happy couple radiating joy and praising Frieze’s collaborative atmosphere. “I think what really excites me this time is that there is more energy and more international people coming,” Lita said. “I feel like we’re recovering and I think it’s fantastic.”

The two also enjoyed the numerous parties that dominated the week surrounding Frieze. “It’s great to celebrate together,” Isabelle said. “It’s really good. She’s a lot wilder. She’s got a lot more energy. I always say, ‘Good night.’ She says, ‘A few more parties!'”

As for her daughter’s work at Jeffery Deitch, Lita couldn’t have been prouder. “I think she’s brilliant. I think she draws inspiration from all these sources of art history. Everything is personal too. Everything she does is her own body. … Is incredible. “It’s really powerful and… it’s cool.”

Sales were intense throughout the day. At Lehmann Maupin, 15 works were sold, highlighting six female artists, including Korean artist Kim Yun Shin, Liza Lou and Billie Zangewa. “Overall, there was an optimistic energy at the fair with galleries displaying some of her best work. Sales at the gallery have been stable, especially for our artists who have significant institutional activity this year,” said co-founder Rachel Lehmann. “With eight of our artists based in Los Angeles, the fair has become a must-see destination for us.”

At Gagosian, the sculpture by Los Angeles-based Lauren Halsey watt is happening sold to a prominent Los Angeles museum. The exhibition includes works by Derrick Adams, Theaster Gates, Cy Gavin, Lauren Halsey and Rick Lowe. “The response to these five artists has been tremendous, and numerous works have been placed in prominent collections on the West Coast,” said Gagosian director Antwaun Sargent. “The presentation takes a new look at notions of abstraction, and black artists add their own investigations to that history and offer a contemporary interpretation.”

Frieze opens to the public today, March 1, and runs through March 3. (Two other concurrent Los Angeles art fairs, Felix and Spring/Break Art Show, are also open through March 3.)

Dozens of collectors from around the world are in town to attend fairs and visit the many art galleries that have scheduled their openings for what is known as Los Angeles Art Week.

For many high-powered collectors who love and support the arts, it has truly become a pinnacle social occasion. “It’s a chance to end up seeing a lot of the art world and people you really like,” Bell said. THR. “We are a kind of large traveling group that moves forward together. We all see each other at the different fairs around the world. It’s almost difficult. You have to stay focused on the art because you meet a lot of old friends and it’s wonderful to see them.”

On the first day of Frieze Los Angeles, the largest reported sale was a large-scale drawing by Richard Serra at the Gladstone Gallery for $2 million. At Thaddaeus Ropac, a charcoal on paper work by Robert Longo sold for $1.6 million and a work by Anselm Kierfer sold for £1.3 million. Hauser & Wirth sold an Ed Clark painting for $950,000, a Charles Gaines work for $795,000, a Frank Bowling painting for $800,000 and a Rita Ackermann painting for $425,000.

David Kordansky Gallery completely sold out its booth of works by Sam McKinniss, in the $95,000 to $140,000 range. pt. 2 Gallery sold all of its works by painter Muzae Sesay, while Vielmetter Los Angeles listed a nine-panel painting by Whitney Bedford for $300,000. A sculpture by Antony Gormley displayed at White Cube sold for £500,000, while David Zwirner placed a sculpture by Huma Bhabha, along with two sculptures by John McCracken for between $450,000 and $500,000 each.

In a new partnership between Frieze Los Angeles and the California African American Museum, the museum acquired a ceramic work titled Natural for his collection created by Los Angeles-based sculptor Mustafa Clayton Ali, who was represented in the Focus section by Dominique Gallery, located in West Adams.