Frieze London was back on course this year, with most dealers putting their best foot forward. You could feel the excitement and ‘antici…pation’ from both the public and sellers, many of who made this their first outing in over 18 months. Frieze London was founded in 2003. The fair is one of the world’s key contemporary art fairs, focusing only on contemporary art. It takes place in October in Regent’s Park, in the heart of London. The 2021 edition of the fair showcased over 160 of the most notable galleries from around the world.
Artlyst Picks Ten From Frieze London 2021
Frieze Masters
Frieze Masters, founded in 2010, offers a unique contemporary perspective on thousands of years of art history, from collectable objects to significant masterpieces from the ancient era and Old Masters to the late 20th century. The 2021 edition of the fair showcased over 130 of the most significant galleries from around the world.
Artlyst Picks Ten From Frieze Masters 2021
The fair’s exhibiting galleries represent some of the most exciting artists working today, from the emerging to the iconic, and a team of world-leading independent curators advise on feature sections, making possible performance-based work and ambitious presentations by emerging galleries. The fair’s focus on living artists and innovative practices are also evident in the critically acclaimed Frieze Talks programme.
Frieze London 2021 will once again foreground discovery, engaging this year with the next generation of European curators who are reshaping the discourse around contemporary art today. Unworlding, curated by Cédric Fauq (Chief Curator, CAPC musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux), will feature a selection of international artists whose practices are centred around the idea of the undoing of the world as we know it. This year’s fair also sees the addition of
Editions, a new section showcasing the world’s leading publishers of editioned works and multiples by today’s most renowned contemporary artists, including Paula Rego, Yinka Shonibare, Georg Baselitz, Do Ho Suh, Julie Mehretu and more.
Frieze London coincides with and is within walking distance of its sister fair, Frieze Masters, in The Regent’s Park. Frieze Masters gives a unique view on the relationship between historical art and contemporary practice, showing work made before the year 2000, whereas Frieze London presents work created mainly post-2000. Connecting Frieze London and Frieze Masters, Frieze Sculpture is a free display of major outdoor works located in The Regent’s Park’s English Gardens at the south end of The Broadwalk. Clare Lilley, Director of Programme at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, will again select and place the works in Frieze Sculpture 2021. Frieze Sculpture is free and open to all from 14 September until the end of October.
Each year, for the last six years, Frieze have had over 60,000 visitors to Frieze London and Frieze Masters combined. These visitors included those with an interest in the art world, such as curators, artists, collectors, gallerists and critics, as well as the general public. Some visit as first-time collectors.