Highlights from the Opening Days of Frieze
On the preview days of Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2025, stars turned up, sales were strong and artists won prizes
On the preview days of Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2025, stars turned up, sales were strong and artists won prizes
The 2025 editions of Frieze London and Frieze Masters opened in The Regent’s Park on 15 October, bringing together 280 galleries from around the world and catalyzing a festival of culture across the city. The preview days saw a host of international celebrity collectors attending, including (among many others) actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Helen Bonham Carter and John Lithgow, fashion icons Raf Simons and Rick Owens and musicians Honey Dijon and Nick Cave alongside other major collectors, artists, curators and museum directors from the UK and across the world.
Winner of the 2025 Frieze Artist Award, Sophia Al-Maria, debuted her live stand-up comedy piece, Wall-Based Work to a huge crowd. Across the park, Frieze Masters Talks kicked off with conversations between Émilie Hammen, Elizabeth Way, Christopher Rothko, Carl Strehlke, William Dalrymple, Glenn Brown, Tracey Emin and Edward George chaired by Arturo Galansino, with final conversations this Saturday.
At Frieze London, Modern Art was awarded the Gallery Stand Prize for its solo presentation of ceramic works by Sanya Kantarovsky. Special mention went to Taka Ishii and Project 88. The Focus Stand Prize was awarded to NYC gallery King’s Leap, for its presentation of Michelle Uckotter.
Museums and foundations also discovered and awarded artists across the fair with major acquisitions and exhibition prizes. The Frieze Tate Fund bought work by two UK artists for the national collection: Lubna Chowdhary and Barbara Walker. The Camden Art Centre Emerging Artist Prize was awarded to Bogdan Ablozhnyy, showing in Frieze London’s Focus section with a.SQUIRE.
Alex Margo Arden, also showing in Focus with Ginny on Frederick, won the inaugural Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation Prize for experimental practice, and Arden’s work was acquired for the Arts Council Collection Fund. The Arts Council Collection also bought works by Vanessa Raw from Carl Freedman Gallery, Liorah Tchiprout from Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, Sarah Ball from Stephen Friedman Gallery and Olu Ogunnaike from Hollybush Gardens.
The Contemporary Art Society Collections Fund acquired a major kinetic sculpture by Michael Landy from Thomas Dane Gallery and Shaqúelle Whyte from Pippy Houldsworth Gallery. Over at Frieze Masters, Spirit Now London supported The National Portrait Gallery by acquiring works by women artists, including Stella Snead at Richard Saltoun Gallery and Madge Gill at The Gallery of Everything.
Across both fairs, opening day sales were strong, from Gagosian’s sold-out booth of work by Lauren Halsey to Ginny on Frederick’s sold-out solo booth of work by Alex Margo Arden in the first few hours at prices from £20,000 to £30,000, following her multiple awards. Lehmann Maupin sold more than 15 works by Korean artist Do Ho Suh, currently showing at Tate Modern. Timothy Taylor almost sold out its booth of Daniel Crews-Chubb on the opening day, with prices ranging from £70,000 to £95,000, and in the Artist-to-Artist section, kurimanzutto sold most of its Ana Segovia paintings, for between $25,000 and $60,000 each.
At Frieze Masters, early major sales included three old-master paintings at Johnny Van Haeften, including The Passion of Christ by Frans Francken the Younger for around £300,000. Maruani Mercier placed works by Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst and Francis Picabia. Hauser & Wirth’s multiple early sales included a work by René Magritte for $1,600,000, Marcel Duchamp’s Jaquette (1956) for $1,350,000 and Alina Szapocznikow’s Sculpture-lampe (1970) for $1,200,000.
The opening days have also been a market moment for Indigenous art, with D’Lan Contemporary placing works by Makinti Napanangka for between $39,000 and $182,000 and Naata Nungurrayi for between $91,000 and $182,000 – both record prices for the artists – and Salon 94 and Karma selling six works during the fair preview by Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, including Dibirdibi Country for $800,000.
In Frieze Sculpture outside the fairs in The Regent’s Park, Stephen Friedman Gallery and Garth Greenan Gallery sold Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s monumental bronze sculpture, Trade Canoe: King of the Mountain (2025), to a private collection.
The fairs continues in The Regent's Park until Sunday 19 October. If you’re coming this weekend, read How to Have a Perfect Day at Frieze.
Further Information
Frieze London and Frieze Masters, The Regent’s Park, 15 – 19 October 2025.
Tickets are on sale – don’t miss out, buy yours now. Alternatively, become a member to enjoy premier access, exclusive guided tours and more.
For all the latest news from Frieze, sign up to the newsletter at frieze.com, and follow @friezeofficial on Instagram and Frieze Official on Facebook.
Frieze London and Frieze Masters are supported by global lead partner Deutsche Bank for the 22nd consecutive year, continuing a shared commitment to artistic excellence. At this year’s fairs, Deutsche Bank will present the work of Noémie Goudal.
Main image: Otobong Nkanga, Lisson Gallery, Frieze London 2025. Photo by Linda Nylind. Courtesy Frieze
