Frieze London and Frieze Masters Report Strong Preview Sales

Frieze London and Frieze Masters have both reported strong sales during the invitation-only preview on Wednesday, October 5, registering many significant sales across both fairs, including the sale of a number of works for over $1 million.

Highlights of the preview day included the reservation of a new painting by Kerry James Marshall priced at $1 million at David Zwirner, another by the same artist for $600,000, as well as a new painting by Yayoi Kusama for over $1 million, while a 2016 Bridget Riley painting was bought by an Asian collector for £700,000.

Hauser & Wirth had a strong start to the fair, selling a small Alexander Calder stabile for $600,000, a Dieter Roth cheese painting for over half a million US dollars, a Takesada Matsutani work for $450,000, a Fausto Melotti sculpture for €300,000, and a Francis Picabia painting for $220,000.

Other significant sales included Pace Gallery’s sale of two of Kohei Nawa’s life-size crystal-encrusted taxidermied deer for $380,000 and $230,000, and Mnuchin Gallery’s sale of Bridget Riley’s “Delos,” 1983 for around $1-1.5 million.

BLOUIN ARTINFO will continue bring you all the action as it happens from Frieze London and Frieze Masters, providing you with the latest sales direct from Frieze. Stay tuned for constantly updated sales reports throughout the duration of the fair.

Preview day sales:

FRIEZE LONDON

David Kordansky Gallery (Los Angeles) has already sold out their stand, with most of the interest coming from collectors outside the UK. Harold Ancart’s “Untitled,” 2016 attracted interest from 12 collectors, with the work selling to an American collector for $85,000.

The gallery also sold Mary Weatherford’s “Spike Driver’s Moan,” 2016 to an Asian collector for $185,000, Kathryn Andrews’ “Black Bars (Dejeuner No. 1),” 2016 for $68,000 to an American institutional collector, and two editioned prints by Torbjørn Rødland, including “Cake (Studio 798),” for $13,000.

P.P.O.W. (New York) had strong sales across their booth, including of several Betty Tompkins paintings for $3,000 to $35,000, editioned photographs by Portia Munson at $15,000, and works by Martin Wong ranging $25,000 – $200,000.

Timothy Taylor (London) reported strong sales of their solo booth of work by Eddie Martinez, selling 14 sculptures for prices ranging between $12,000 – $15,000.

Pace Gallery (Hong Kong, Beijing, Paris, Palo Alto, New York, London) sold a new LED light work by Leo Villareal titled “Radiant Wheel,” 2015 for $100,000, and also placed additional works by Kevin Francis Gray, Prabhavathi Meppayil, and Kohei Nawa during the first hours of the fair.

Gray’s new marble bust “Cave Girl,” 2016 sold for £80,000; a small-scale minimalist painting made of copper wire and gesso, “fourteen/sixteen,” 2016 by Meppayil sold for $20,000; and two life size works by Kohei Nawa featuring taxidermied deers encrusted with “glass cells” sold for $380,000 and $230,000.

Mendes Wood (São Paulo) sold a number of works, including pieces by Lucas Arruda, Sonia Gomes, and Mariana Castillo Deball; the gallery will be rehanging its Frieze London booth tomorrow.

David Zwirner (New York, London) – a new painting by Kerry James Marshall for $1 million was placed on reserve, reportedly heading to a major American museum; and another work by Marshall sold for $600,000 to a private collection. There was also strong interest in a painting by Bridget Riley, as well as reserves and strong interest in works by William Eggleston.

The gallery also sold a new painting by Yayoi Kusama for over $1 million; a 2016 Bridget Riley painting to an Asian collector for £700,000; two new oil and charcoal-on-linen works by Chris Ofili for $380,000; two new sculptures by Carol Bove for $375,000 each; a photograph from Thomas Ruff’s recent “press++” series for €85,000; and a number of photos by Wolfgang Tillmans ranging from $8,000 – $80,000.

Hauser & Wirth (New York, London) sold a number of works from their “L’atelier d’artistes” stand, including sculptures by Fischli/Weiss and Thomas Houseago (for $75,000), as well as a Rodney Graham lightbox, a small Phyllida Barlow sculpture for £50,000, and Jack Whitten work on canvas for $45,000.

Casey Kaplan (New York) sold out the majority of their stand, including works by Kevin Beasley, Giorgio Griffa, Garth Weiser, N. Dash, and Sarah Crowner.

FRIEZE MASTERS

Marlborough Fine Art (London) sold over £1 million worth of Paula Rego works in the first two hours of the preview of Frieze Masters, including one to a UK national museum.

Mnuchin Gallery (New York) had strong sales on the first day of Frieze Masters, with highlights including the sale of Sean Scully’s “Gate,” 1997, as well as the sale of Bridget Riley’s “Delos,” 1983, which sold in the range of $1-1.5 million.

David Zwirner (New York, London) sold a hanging sculpture by Ruth Asawa from the mid-1960s, two works by Josef Albers, a seminal work from 1988 by Sherrie Levine, a drawing by Sigmar Polke, prints by Cy Twombly, and prints and a galvanized steel work by Donald Judd.

Salomon Lilian (Amsterdam, Geneva) has reported strong sales, including an important work by Willem Kalf and “A Still Life with Asparagus” by Monogrammist O.M., circa 1675, which sold for around £100,000.

Blain| Southern (London) had very strong interest throughout the day, and sold two editions of Lynn Chadwick’s “Third Maquette for Teddy Boy and Girl II” for £100,000 early on in the preview day to two different European Collectors who were both new to the gallery.

Dominique Lévy reported a wonderful beginning to the fair, with interesting conversations and strong engagement from an international crowd, with two major works sold from its co-presentation with Marianne Boesky Gallery and Sprüth Magers. The gallery was very pleased to see that the reception of early works by Frank Stella is so strong in the UK and Europe.

Cahn International (Basel) sold one of the earliest Corinthian helmets for £175,000.

Daniel Crouch Rare Books (London) sold John Rocque’s 1746 map, “A Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster and Borough of Southwark…,” for £75,000.

Rupert Wace Ancient Art (London) sold a Bactrian striated marble disc from 2nd millennium BC for £15,000.

Jonathan Clark Fine Art presented a solo booth of Eduardo Paolozzi ranging in price from £4,000 to £40,000, and have already sold a range of prices.

Daxer & Marschall (Munich) had strong interest in the German Expressionist booth throughout the day and sold very well.

Raccanello Leprince (London) sold an Urbino 16th century Istoriato dish over £50,000 to a private collector.

Luxembourg & Dayan reported a lot of interest in their presentation at Frieze Masters, “Formless Re-Examined,” which revisits the famous exhibition “L’Informe: mode d’emploi” curated by Yve-Alain Bois and Rosalind E. Krauss at the Centre Georges Pompidou in 1996. The presentation includes works by Burri, César, Dubuffet, Duchamp, Fautrier, Fontana, Giacometti, Manzoni, Oldenburg, Picasso, Rauschenberg, Shiraga, and Tinguely.

The gallery has also had strong interest in Claes Oldenburg’s “Fagend Study,” 1975 in the Frieze Sculpture Park. The giant cigarette butt made of lead, CorTen steel, and polyurethane weighs in around 300 kg and is for sale in the region of $2 million.

Pace Gallery’s (New York, London, Hong Kong, Beijing, Paris, Palo Alto) Frieze Masters booth, featuring a selection of work spanning the career of Lucas Samara, sold briskly during opening day. More than half a dozen pastel on paper works sold in the range of $20,000 – $30,000.

Hauser & Wirth (London) placed a series of works on paper by Cy Twombly; several Louise Bourgeois sculptures as well as a 1945 painting by the artist; a small Alexander Calder stabile for $600,000; a Dieter Roth cheese painting for over a half a million US dollars, a Takesada Matsutani for $450,000; a Fausto Melotti sculpture for €300,000; a Francis Picabia painting for $220,000; and two Marlene Dumas works on paper for $45,000 each.