Frieze Los Angeles Artwork Truthful Opens With Celeb Friends, Massive Gross sales

A common view of ambiance through the press preview of the Frieze Artwork Truthful Los Angeles on the Santa Monica Airport on February 29, 2024 in Santa Monica, California.

Amanda Edwards/Getty Pictures

The V.I.P. opening day of the Frieze Los Angeles artwork honest felt like a household affair as Hollywood energy gamers and artwork world elites met and mingled to view one of the best works from galleries around the globe. Held on the Santa Monica Airport for the second yr working, the all-day occasion on Thursday, Feb. 29, felt breezier this yr, as a brand new design and 20 p.c fewer galleries gave A-listers the area to peruse and schmooze.

One couldn’t go two toes with out shaking fingers with an outdated pal or coming upon a clutch of Hollywood insiders. Outdated buddies Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson — the primary two film star incognito in baseball caps — chatted with LACMA director and CEO Michael Govan in entrance of 1 sales space, whereas bigwig agents-slash-collectors from Endeavor, CAA and UTA have been out in power, some swarming collectively in packs. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, strode across the honest with a notably affable air, greeting company and trying out work and sculptures. Endeavor has a majority stake in Frieze, which additionally has artwork gala’s in London, Seoul and New York.

WME co-chairman Richard Weitz —  who was noticed with jewellery designer Sheryl Lowe (her husband Rob Lowe, who has taken up portray, was additionally on the honest) — talked up the glitz and glamour of Frieze Los Angeles. “What a mystique Frieze has,” Weitz exclaimed, noting it attracts “the who’s who of the artwork world and people looky-loos simply wish to be a part of it.” He added, “A lot of it’s already bought to start with, but it surely’s all the time enjoyable to observe.”

Producer and author Maria Bell, a famous artwork patron, agreed. “I simply really feel it’s so thrilling to have such a terrific honest come to Los Angeles,” she enthused. “Not solely does it herald folks from throughout, but it surely will get the L.A. artwork group collectively in a approach that nothing else does. For years, we tried to have a profitable honest right here, and this one is simply the fitting match, and it’s so nice.”

Different notable attendees included Robert Downey Jr. (who was noticed in a inexperienced tracksuit and multi-colored bucket hat), his spouse Susan Downey, Leonardo DiCaprio (in a hat paired with a face masks), John C. Reilly, Jessica Biel, Tobey Maguire, WME’s Nancy Josephson and Dan Aloni, Zachary Quinto, Anthony Kiedis, CAA’s Joel Lubin, UTA’s Jay Sures, Lionsgate’s Jon Feltheimer, Sarah Gilbert, producer Michael Patrick King, Lisa Edelstein, a black-hoodie-clad Michael Ovitz, The Edge, Jeremy Pope, furnishings 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 a lot of at Frieze, the primary function of the day wasn’t socializing — it was artwork. “You see nice historic works by artists like Kenny Value and folks like that, after which there’s model new works by younger artists,” Bell mentioned. “It’s a terrific combine. It’s actually incredible.” At Jeffery Deitch, Ryan Murphy, wanting each bit the intense collector in a protracted black coat and sun shades, alongside along with his artwork advisor Joe Sheftel, have been noticed intently inspecting a silver self-portrait bust finished by the artist Isabelle Albuquerque, as a part of her sequence Orgy For Ten Individuals In One Physique.

Minutes later, Albuquerque and her mom, the legendary artist Lita Albuquerque, walked as much as the Deitch sales space, a cheerful pair exuding pleasure and praising the collaborative ambiance of Frieze. “I feel what I’m actually enthusiastic about this time is that there’s extra power, extra worldwide folks coming in,” Lita mentioned. “I really feel like we’re coming into our personal, and it feels incredible to me.”

The 2 have been additionally having fun with the quite a few events that dominated the week surrounding Frieze. “It’s nice to have a good time collectively,” Isabelle mentioned. “It’s very nice. She’s a lot wilder. She has far more power. I’m all the time like, ‘Night time, evening.’ She’s like, ‘A couple of extra events!’”

As for her daughter’s work at Jeffery Deitch, Lita couldn’t have been prouder. “I feel she’s good. I feel she attracts from all these artwork historic sources. It’s all private as properly. The whole lot that she does is her personal physique. … It’s unbelievable. It’s actually highly effective and … it’s genius.”

Gross sales have been brisk all through the day. At Lehmann Maupin, 15 works have been bought which highlighted six feminine artists together with Korean artist Kim Yun Shin, Liza Lou and Billie Zangewa. “Total, there was an upbeat power on the honest with galleries showcasing a few of their greatest works. Gross sales on the gallery have been regular, particularly for our artists who’ve important institutional exercise this yr,” co-founder Rachel Lehmann famous. “With eight of our artists based mostly in Los Angeles, the honest has turn into a must-stop vacation spot for us.” 

At Gagosian, L.A.-based Lauren Halsey’s sculpture watt’s taking place bought to a distinguished Los Angeles museum. The present consists of works by Derrick Adams, Theaster Gates, Cy Gavin, Lauren Halsey and Rick Lowe. “The response to those 5 artists has been large, with quite a few works being positioned in distinguished West Coast collections,” mentioned Gagosian director Antwaun Sargent. “The presentation takes a contemporary have a look at notions of abstraction, with Black artists including their very own investigations to that story and providing a recent interpretation.”

Frieze opens to the general public right this moment, March 1, and runs by means of March 3. (Two different concurrent Los Angeles artwork gala’s, Felix and Spring/Break Artwork Present, are also up by means of March 3.)

Scores of collectors are on the town from everywhere in the world to attend the gala’s in addition to try the numerous artwork galleries which have timed openings to what has turn into referred to as L.A. Artwork Week.

For a lot of high-powered collectors who love and help the humanities, it has actually turn into an apex social event. “It’s a probability to finish up seeing numerous the artwork world and folks that you just actually like,” Bell advised THR. “We’re form of like an enormous touring group trooping collectively. On the varied gala’s around the globe, all of us see one another. It’s nearly exhausting. You’ve acquired to maintain targeted on the artwork since you run into so many aged mates, and it’s so beautiful to see them.”

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

David Kordansky Gallery utterly bought out their sales space of works by Sam McKinniss, within the vary of $95,000 to $140,000. Pt. 2 Gallery bought all their works by painter Muzae Sesay, whereas Vielmetter Los Angeles positioned a nine-panel portray by Whitney Bedford for $300,000. An Antony Gormley sculpture exhibiting at White Dice bought for 500,000 kilos, whereas David Zwirner positioned a sculpture by Huma Bhanaba, together with two John McCracken sculptures for between $450,000 and $500,000 every. 

In a brand new partnership between Frieze Los Angeles and the California African American Museum, the museum acquired a ceramic work titled Pure for his or her assortment created by the L.A.-based sculptor Mustafa Clayton Ali, who was represented within the Focus part by Dominique Gallery, positioned in West Adams.