The fifth edition of Frieze Los Angeles was reduced compared to the previous year, with 95 exhibitors under a single white tent installed on the grounds of the Santa Monica airport. Reports of seven-figure sales from the first VIP preview day also appeared to be down from last year, although many dealers said they were optimistic about the improved centralized design of the fair.
The most expensive sale reported during Thursday’s VIP preview was Gladstone Gallery, which placed a large-scale drawing by Richard Serra for $2 million. Thaddaeus Ropac reported selling Robert Longo’s Untitled (Julien) (2016) for $1.6 million, but the work on paper had been purchased during a preview and was never exhibited at the fair, a gallery representative said. Ropac also sold the painting of Anselm Kiefer Tell me where the flowers are (2012-22) for 1.3 million euros.
At the Hauser & Wirth booth, a 2010 Untitled painting by Ed Clark sold for $950,000 and Pisces, wishes in the blue summer (2016) by Frank Bowling took $800,000. David Zwirner sold three Joe Bradley paintings for $300,000 to $450,000; two sculptures by John McCracken for $450,000 to $500,000; a Steven Shearer painting for $480,000; and a Huma Bhabha sculpture for $650,000. Perrotin sold a large-scale painting of Cristina BanBan for $100,000 to $125,000.
All together now
Vielmetter sold Veduta (Vuillard Public Gardens) (2023-24), a nine-canvas piece by Los Angeles-based artist Whitney Bedford, for $300,000 to a Hong Kong-based collector who is opening a private institution. Gagosian sold the sculpture of Lauren Halsey watts passing (2024) to a leading Los Angeles museum for an undisclosed price. Night Gallery sold Cynthia Daignault’s god bless you (2024): a grid of 24 paintings of Ingrid Bergman in the final scene of Casablanca– for $120,000.
Last year, Frieze Los Angeles hosted 124 galleries, most housed in a tent while a smaller selection set up shop in the nearby Barker Hangar. The two separate spaces and the roughly ten-minute walk between them were the subject of criticism at the time, with some hangar galleries saying they felt isolated from the rest of the fair. Christine Messineo, director of Frieze for the Americas, says the new design is a response to feedback from last year.
“This feels very manageable. I was talking to someone as we were walking through the fair, and they said, ‘It’s a great size to hang out with the galleries, grab a quick bite, and then come back,'” says Messineo. Although the number of exhibitors has dwindled by 20% from 2023, the fair has “a very strong local contingency and we’ve actually seen growth in terms of galleries that are present,” says Messineo. Around 40% of participating galleries have a space in the large Los Angeles area, according to organizers.
Los Angeles mainstay Anat Ebgi moved from the Focus section to the main part of the fair this year. The gallery held several sales during the fair’s opening hours, including a painting by Los Angeles-based painter and sculptor Meeson Pae. filter (2024) for $38,000. Stefano di Paola, partner and senior gallery director, said this year’s more centralized design benefited emerging and established galleries alike.
“It’s really nice to be able to consider all the galleries in one space,” says Di Paola. “It doesn’t create this arbitrary hierarchy that can happen between a primary versus a secondary space. It affirms that all the galleries are here together and that we’re all one community under the banner of Frieze.
California galleries participating for the first time at Frieze Los Angeles include Nazarian Curcio, which changed its name just two weeks before the fair to reflect the growing collaboration between founder Shulamit Nazarian and co-owner Seth Curcio. The gallery is hosting a solo booth dedicated to Widline Cadet, a Haitian artist based in Los Angeles, whose work ranges from $3,000 to $45,000. The stand marks Cadet’s first solo presentation in Los Angeles, Curcio says.
Indigenous emergency
The booth at Babst Gallery, based in Los Angeles, is dedicated to the figurative paintings and drawings of Harry Fonseca. The gallery opened last summer with a show featuring the late California-born artist’s work. An enrolled citizen of the Shingle Springs Miwok Band of Indians, Fonseca’s colorful paintings are based on the traditional ceremonies of his tribe and other indigenous groups.
“We are very excited to show Harry’s work in a contemporary art context,” says Helen Babst, gallery partner. Prices at the booth range from $125,000 to $250,000, and the gallery made several sales in the first few hours of the VIP preview, he says.
Vielmetter, founded in Los Angeles in 2000, has participated in every Frieze Los Angeles since the fair launched in 2019. Senior director Michael Smoler says the local art market benefits from strong institutions and an abundance of artists living in the area.
“Los Angeles is the Big West. It’s where anything can happen,” says Smoler. “Hollywood is here and the people coming out are creative. Most people are trying to pursue their dreams, whether it’s acting, music or art, or even being an influencer.”
