Frieze Los Angeles 2024 elevates its global standing with an international mix of 95 leading galleries, including Asian galleries participating for the first time. The fifth edition incorporates live performances, culinary pop-ups, and public exhibitions to redefine its approach to the thriving local art scene.
The fair includes the Focus section, curated by Essence Harden, showcasing 12 young US-based galleries featuring emerging talent exploring the theme of “ecologies.” Frieze partners with the City of Santa Monica for its Art Bank collection, celebrating 40 years of bringing art to public spaces.
Frieze Music, in collaboration with BMW, presented a live performance by Sudan Archives at the Hammer Museum. Pop-ups from women-owned Los Angeles-based restaurants curated by Regarding Her are featured, adding a culinary dimension to the event.
Celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Ferrell, Tobey Maguire, John C. Reilly, Robert Downey Jr., Matthew McConaughey, and the Wilson brothers have gathered for the VIP preview. Outside the fair, various events included Jane Fonda at Jimmy Iovine’s mansion and a Serpentine Americas Foundation celebration with attendees like Lana del Rey, Zachary Quinto, and AI art star Refik Anadol.
Galleries present solo and curated booths, with notable presentations from BLUM, Bortolami, Gagosian, Gallery Hyundai, Jenkins Johnson, Casey Kaplan, Kasmin, David Kordansky Gallery, L.A. Louver, Victoria Miro, Petzel, The Pit, Esther Schipper, Silverlens, Sprüth Magers, Stephen Friedman Gallery, Welancora Gallery, and David Zwirner.
Ortuzar Projects presents a genius three-person booth featuring works by Carlos Almaraz, Roberto Gil de Montes, and Joey Terrill, key figures in the queer Chicano art scene of the 1970s and ’80s.
Hannah Traore Gallery showcases James Perkins’s stunning wall-hung works, featuring dyed silk fabric buried on Fire Island for up to two years, transforming into ethereal gradients.
Proyectos Monclova’s orange-painted booth displays Aydeé Rodríguez López’s paintings portraying the lived experiences of Afro-Mexicans, challenging historical misrepresentations.
Jenkins Johnson Gallery features Blessing Ngobeni’s powerful works on unstretched canvas, addressing South Africa’s societal issues, including corruption and unfulfilled promises.
Galerie Lelong & Co. presents lesser-known works by Ana Mendieta, including photographs documenting performances such as “Facial Hair Transplants” from 1972.
Silverlens showcases Jennifer K Wofford’s visually alluring paintings inspired by the Madonna Inn, featuring bright colors and patterns.
James Fuentes dedicates his booth to Geoffrey Holder, displaying portraits created throughout his career, with a captivating 1956 painting of Holder’s wife, dancer Carmen de Lavallade.
Notable sales included Gladstone Gallery’s $2 million transaction for a large-scale drawing by Richard Serra and Thaddaeus Ropac’s $1.6 million sale of Robert Longo’s work. Hauser & Wirth reported a $950,000 sale for an Ed Clark painting. Vielmetter sold Whitney Bedford’s nine-canvas piece for $300,000 to a Hong Kong collector opening a private institution, while Gagosian sold Lauren Halsey’s sculpture to a leading Los Angeles Museum (price undisclosed).
