Behind the Scenes: The History of Frieze
For those involved in London’s contemporary art scene, October is typically a busy time. We are a month away from the opening of the UK’s largest art fair, Frieze London. This year, the fair will take place from October 9th to the 13th at the Regent’s Park in London.
While many of us visit Frieze every year to explore the extensive range of gallery booths featuring ground-breaking contemporary art from all over the world, the history of this important international art fair is somewhat less on our minds.
Frieze London was founded in 2003 as the Frieze Art Fair by English entrepreneurs and publishers Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, who had previously co-founded the contemporary art magazine Frieze in 1991 together with artist Tom Gidley. Since then, it has established itself as one of the most relevant contemporary art events worldwide, playing a key role in the commercial art market and fostering strong relationships between artists, galleries, and the general public.
Its sister fair, Frieze Masters, was launched in 2012 and focuses on the intersections between contemporary art and history, providing a significant platform for showcasing artworks, objects, and artefacts created before 2000. Frieze Masters takes place within walking distance from Frieze London, also in the beautiful setting of Regent’s Park. The fair also launched Frieze New York in 2012, Frieze Los Angeles in 2019, and Frieze Seoul in 2022, expanding its international network of media and events.
Several art critics, curators, and researchers have recognised the impact Frieze London has had on the city’s local art scene. Its founding coincided with the rise of globalisation and the expansion of the international art market in the early 2000s. Some recall the changes in the staging of the fair, evolving from a more hands-on, do-it-yourself approach to a more professional, corporate operation. The fair came to reflect the multicultural and cosmopolitan nature of London, its art and artists, inserting the city on the international contemporary art map.
Its first edition took place just a few years after the opening of Tate Modern, which marked an emblematic shift in exhibition audiences. Though Frieze remains a commercial art fair, with all of the artworks available for purchase, a large portion of Frieze’s public is formed of regular visitors who are not there to buy art but enjoy the variety of works on display and gain a glimpse into the international art world through the diverse selection of participating galleries, institutions, and projects.
In its early years, the fair gathered around 27,000 visitors. Today, an average of 100,000 visitors attends Frieze London and Frieze Masters annually. In 2019, Eva Langret was appointed as the new artistic director of Frieze, where she now oversees the strategic development and artistic programme of the London art fair and act as a liaison for galleries, collectors and curators in collaboration.
Be sure to grab a map as you enter the vast, purpose-built tent and enjoy the fair!
Carol Fucci for London Art Walk
September 2024