The art world is a very robust entity and even after the highs of the 56th Venice Biennale, which opened on the 10th May and the first billion-dollar week of sales at Christie’s. Who in their right mind would think that there would still be room for Frieze New York, out on the wastelands of Randall’s Island. Artlyst’s Lizanne Merrill has the lowdown. The Frieze Art Fair has brought international, contemporary art from today’s top working artists to the New York scene since 2012. This year’s Frieze featured more than 190 galleries from around the world, all setting up shop on Island Park. collectors including François Pinault, the French owner of Christie’s, were at the entrance of Frieze New York Wednesday for its VIP preview day.
Pia Camils’ Free handmade ponchos (see top photo) were interesting as a performance piece and metaphorical statement. She turned the 1% of the 1% richest consumers ,dropping buckets of moola on the latest precious art – into a herd of sheep queuing up for free garments sewn from scraps-. It is ironic in so many ways, least of all that these very showy designer exclusive tony types draped themselves like Bedouins at the fair. Of course, I got one – (yay) The patchwork capes were already adorning many a well heeled VIP – when I got to the preview just after noon. After noticing that all these people were walking around wearing ponchos, I was like – “what is this? ” ( Answer: an artist made cape) “Where did you get that?” ( Answer: they are giving them out free ) Where? ( answer: at a booth near the south entrance ) I quickly become possessed with a shaking single minded determination and walked the 250,000 feet, or the length of three football fields to the south entrance because “I have to have one!”
There was a long and quite static line to get them. As I was ( impatiently) on it Arnold Lehman ( head director of Brooklyn museum) asked my friend , (who already had a cape) if She would be so kind as to cut the line on his behalf bearing his business card and get him one. Mr Lehman was sporting a cane and said to say ‘my friend who is crippled would like a cape but can’t wait on line’ I grabbed his card – darted up to the front of the 3 thick, 50 deep, Line – I found the artist who was giving out the ponchos and explained to her about the director of the Brooklyn museum. I grabbed a cape for myself and asked her to pick one she thought would be good for him and ran her over to Arnold Lehman to present it in person and take a cape clad picture of them both ! Yay!
In retrospect, the poncho, much like a pretty sombrero you may have admired and bought on vacation in Mexico, will not make it onto my being along the urban streets. Hahaha. I will hold on to it though, as a momenta and memory of the culture I witnessed this year at Frieze.
Other Highs of Frieze beside the beautiful airy atmosphere of the tent and setting were of course the sales as reported by Artnews and Bloomberg as follows.
Skarstedt Gallery -Cady Noland, Untitled (Walker), 1989 sold for $1,500,000, Richard Prince, Untitled (Cowboy), 1987 sold for $600,000
Thomas Schütte, Wicht (2), 2006 sold for $500,000, David Zwirner Gallery -Franz West’s booth—works range from $60,000- $2.2 million
According to a Zwirner representative, “The gallery is now the exclusive distributor of the Franz West furniture. The price ranges from $30,000 (club chair) to $100,000 (couch). Other furniture designs include a chaise lounge, a pouf, and a different type of couch. “2 pairs of club chairs (4 chairs total) sold to 2 collectors, and a set of 2 club chairs and a couch went to 1 collector.”
John McCracken’s booth—works range from $250,000-$1.8 million, Solar Eruption, 2000-2001.COURTESY BLUM & POE “We wanted to notify you about the following notable sale from Blum & Poe (a first-time exhibitor at Frieze NY this year). The gallery sold Carroll Dunham’s [Solar Eruption, 2000-2001] painting for $550,000.”
Pace Gallery marked its inaugural appearance at the fair with an immersive environment by celebrated artist Richard Tuttle, who transformed the booth into what he calls a pavilion. The effect is meant to evoke a hermetic space that envelops the viewer and heightens the intimacy of the viewing experience. During the [preview], Pace sold more than half of the works on view to established American collectors. Seven drawings by Tuttle from his ‘Aspects’ series, which he completed in Maine in the summer of 2014, sold for $35,000 each.”
Sean Kelly Mariko Mori Cycloid I, 2014 – 150,000 Euro ($170,521.42 USD), Jose Dávila Untitled, 2014 – $40,000, Hugo McCloud from where I stand, 2015 – $30,000, Hugo McCloud 12 days 204 ways, 2015 – $30,000, Los Carpinteros Derrame de Pared ORO seis, 2012 – 35,000 Euro ($39,788.33 USD), Frank Thiel Perito Moreno #11, 2012/2013 – 18,000 Euro ($20,462.57 USD), Frank Thiel Stadt 10/06/A (Berlin), 2001 – 15,000 Euro ($17,052.07 USD)
Iran do Espírito Santo Bowl, 2015 – $15,000, Senza Titolo (Untitled).COURTESY LEHMANN MAUPIN Lehmann Maupin -Kader Attia’s Halam Tawaaf, 2008, is on hold for a major American museum, A sculpture by Robert Cuoghi, Senza Titolo (Untitled), 2015, sold for over $100,000, A first edition of Teresita Fernández’s Ghost Vines (Yellow Gold), 2015, sold to a private collector for more than $500,000, Nicholas Hlobo’s Ulwamvila, 2015, sold for over $100,000
