Freeze Los Angeles Art Fair opens with celebrity guests and huge sale

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

Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

The VIP opening day of Frieze Los Angeles Art Fair felt like a family affair, as Hollywood power and art world elite gathered to mingle and view the best works from galleries around the world. Held for the second year in a row at the Santa Monica Airport, the all-day event on Thursday, February 29th was even better this year as a new design and 20 percent smaller gallery gave celebrities more space to browse and chat. It felt refreshing.

You can’t walk two feet without shaking the hand of an old friend or meeting a Hollywood insider. Old friends Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, and Luke Wilson, the first two movie stars to wear baseball caps, were spotted in one while the big-time agent and slash collector from Endeavor, CAA, and UTA was out and about. I chatted with LACMA Director and CEO Michael Govan in front of the booth. Some people gather in groups. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel roamed the fair in a particularly friendly manner, greeting guests and checking out paintings and sculptures. Endeavor owns a majority stake in Frieze, which also holds art fairs in London, Seoul and New York.

WME Co-Chairman Richard Weitz, who was spotted with jewelry designer Sheryl Rowe (her husband Rob Rowe, who started painting, was also in attendance), talked about the glitz and glamor of Frieze Los Angeles. “What a mystique there is in Frieze,” Weitz exclaimed, noting that the work depicts “art world figures and unsightly people who just want to be a part of it.” . He added: “A lot of them have already sold to begin with, but it’s always fun to look at them.”

Producer and author Maria Bell, a noted patron of the arts, agreed. “I think it’s really exciting that such a great fair is coming to Los Angeles,” she said excitedly. “Not only does it bring people together from all over the world, but it unites LA’s arts community in a way that nothing else can. We’ve been trying to make the fair a success here for years, but this time The fair is perfect for that and it’s really great.”

Other notable attendees included Robert Downey Jr. (spotted wearing a green tracksuit and multi-colored bucket hat), his wife Susan Downey, and Leonardo DiCaprio (wearing a face mask and hat). John C. Reilly, Jessica Biel, Tobey Maguire, WME’s Nancy Josephson and Dan Aroni, Zachary Quinto, Anthony Kiedis, CAA’s Joel Rubin, UTA’s Jay Sures, Lionsgate’s John Feltheimer, Sara Gilbert, producer Michael Patrick King, Lisa Edelstein, Michael Ovitz in a black hoodie, The Edge, Jeremy Pope, and furniture designer Alexandra von. Furstenberg, director Ronnie Sassoon, restaurateur and artist Michael Chow, designer Michael Smith, Simone Bent Garrity and Troy Garrity, Steve Tisch and Jamie Tisch.

For many at Frieze, the main purpose of the day was not socializing, but art. “You have great historical pieces by artists like Kenny Price and people like that, and then you also have brand new pieces by younger artists,” Bell said. “It’s a great mix. It’s really great.” At Jeffrey Deitch, Ryan Murphy, wearing a long black coat and sunglasses, is joined by art advisor Joe Sheftel, as part of the work by artist Isabel Albuquerque. He was seen intently examining the silver self-portrait bust he had painted.series 1 person 10 person orgy.

Minutes later, Albuquerque and her mother, legendary artist Rita Albuquerque, walked up to Deitch’s booth, and the happy pair exuded joy, praising Freeze’s supportive atmosphere. “I think what I’m really excited about this time is that there’s going to be more energy and more international people coming together,” Rita said. “I feel like we’re coming into our own, and that’s great for me.”

The two also enjoyed numerous parties around Freeze that took up the entire week. “It’s great to be able to celebrate together,” Isabel said. “It’s so nice. She’s more wild. She has more energy. She’s always like, ‘Night, night.’ She said, “We have a few more parties! ” he said. ”

Rita couldn’t be more proud of her daughter’s work with Jeffrey Deitch. “I think she’s amazing. I think she draws from all these art historical sources. It’s all personal, too. Everything she does is her own body. … It’s incredible. . It’s really powerful and…genius.”

Sales were strong throughout the day. Lehman Maupin sold 15 works spotlighting six female artists, including Korean artists Kim Yun-shin, Liza Lu, and Billie Zangewa. “Overall, there was a positive energy at the fair and galleries were showing their best work.Sales at galleries were steady and particularly strong for artists who have significant collective work this year.” Co-founder Rachel Lehmann said. “Eight of our artists are based in Los Angeles, making this fair a must-visit destination for us.”

In a sculpture by Lauren Halsey at Los Angeles-based Gagosian. watt is happening It was sold to a prominent Los Angeles museum. The show includes work by Derrick Adams, Theaster Gates, Cy Gavin, Lauren Halsey, and Rick Rowe. “The response to these five artists has been overwhelming, with many of their works now in prominent collections on the West Coast,” said Gagosian director Antwan Sargent. “This presentation takes a fresh look at the concept of abstraction, with Black artists offering unique investigations and contemporary interpretations of that story.”

Frieze opens to the public today, March 1st, and will run through March 3rd (two other Los Angeles art fairs running at the same time, Felix and Spring/Break Art Show, will also run through March 3rd) .

Thousands of collectors travel to the city from all over the world to attend the fair and check out the many art galleries that open in conjunction with what has become known as LA Art Week.

It has truly become a social event for many powerful collectors who love and support art. “It’s a chance to meet a lot of people in the art world and people that I really like,” Bell said. THR. “We’re like a big traveling group that acts together. At different fairs around the world, we all meet face to face. It’s almost difficult. I meet a lot of old friends, so I focus on art. We have to keep doing it, and it’s great to see them.”

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

David Kordanski Gallery The booth with Sam McInnis pieces, which range from $95,000 to $140,000, was completely sold out. Point 2 Gallery sells all of artist Mouzae Sesay’s works, and Wilmetter Los Angeles sells a nine-panel painting by Whitney Bedford for $300,000. An Antony Gormley sculpture exhibited at the White Cube sold for £500,000, while David Zwirner sold a Huma Banaba sculpture and two John McCracken sculptures for between $450,000 and $500,000 each.

Through a new partnership between Frieze Los Angeles and the African American Museum of California, the museum has acquired ceramic works titled: Nature The collection was created by L.A.-based sculptor Mustafa Clayton Ali and is represented in the Focus section of Dominique Gallery in West Adams.