ART ATTACK: The twin art fairs — Frieze London and Frieze Masters — are becoming ever more attractive to customers outside Europe and the U.S., with the number of visitors from India and mainland China more than doubling compared with 2025, according to organizers of the annual fairs, which wrapped on Sunday.
The fairs also saw increases in visitors from Hong Kong, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil, while attendance from the U.S. and Canada rose “significantly” alongside growth from major European markets, including Germany and France.
The fairs, which ran from Thursday to Sunday in Regent’s Park, welcomed 95,000 visitors from 108 countries and regions, including a record number of representatives from 426 institutions across 51 countries and regions, according to organizers.
At Frieze Masters, Jan Brueghel the Elder’s “Still Life of Flowers in a Stoneware Vase” sold in the region of 5 million pounds, alongside four paintings by Alice Neel for $1.6 million to $1.8 million each.
And at Frieze London, sales included a new painting by Michaël Borremans, for $1.5 million; Avery Singer’s Solver (v.3) for $800,000, and George Condo’s Figure Composition for $600,000. A historic work on paper by Richard Serra sold for $750,000, while a suite of works on paper by Louise Bourgeois went for $400,000.
As always, fashion played a starring role during the week, with Stone Island hosting a buzzy dinner curated by chef Merlin Labron-Johnson at Selfridges’ members club 40 Duke, and Net-a-porter and Erdem welcoming guests to the British Museum for dinner and a private viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry, arguably the hottest exhibition ticket in town.
Dunhill hosted its annual series of talks at Frieze Masters. Titled “Breaking the Mould,” they explored how art, materials and ideas from the past continue to shape the present, with speakers including Es Devlin, Grayson Perry and Paul Pfeiffer.
De Beers also took over space at Frieze Masters for an immersive installation tracing the origin of natural diamonds. The highlight was a cluster of rough diamonds, some of them glowing fluorescent blue, a color straight from Earth’s vast palette.
Fashion supported more than just the Frieze art fairs. The French brand Soeur sponsored the PAD design fair, and outfitted the hosting staff in its designs, while Dover Street Market made way for special installations, creative collaborations, new brands and exclusive product launches throughout the store.
Solange Azagury-Partridge’s new Frankenstone collection of asymmetrical stones, and rock crystal creations, was a highlight.
At JW Anderson on Pimlico Road, an exhibition called “A Composition,” began during Frieze and will run until Oct. 21. The centerpiece is a series of 30 wind chimes made specifically for the brand by Cerith Wyn Evans, a conceptual artist, sculptor, filmmaker and favorite of Jonathan Anderson.
