It has almost been two years since we reported from an art fair and the return of two of the most famous ones has shown us how much we missed it. The millionaire and socialite calendar surely feels more and more complete and pre-pandemic. We couldn’t wait to travel to Europe for two of the world’s most famous art fairs.
Art Basel
Art Basel 2021 featured over 270 galleries from all over the world and despite feeling a little less frenzied and hectic than the 2019 edition given the ongoing travel restrictions it turned out to be a massive success. Collectors, curators and artists were all eager to make deals and on the floor you could frequently hear them talking about multi-million dollar art pieces – there is a huge demand to invest in art. On the first day a Philip Guston painting and a David Smith sculpture were sold for $6.5m and $5.5m respectively.
Some of our favorite pieces included David Shrigley’s “Look Closer” which was created in collaboration with Ruinart, the Perrotin booth and the Maureen Paley booth with work by Rebecca Warren and Liam Gillick. For the first time, Art Basel featured NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and it was off to a strong start with NFTs by Kevin Abosch and Olive Allen selling for €40,000 and €25,000 respectively. One of the attendees even predicted that in the next few years every gallery will have an NFT platform and sales will be competing with the physical art market.
Attendees certainly used the in-person return to network and make valuable connections. The Ruinart VIP lounge and the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois were favorite spots. The latter also became part of the fair by showcasing augmented reality with a giant pink worm by David Shrigley – what a unique way to enjoy an éclair and glass of Ruinart on the terrace.
Frieze London
Frieze is back in Regent’s Park with over 290 galleries showcasing and over 80,000 visitors attending. Apart from artists and collectors, Frieze never fails to disappoint in mixing in fashion designers and people from the music and film industry. At times it is difficult to say if the art is just displayed on canvases hanging on the walls or in the fashion choices made by various attendees. And just like in other’s year, people-watching, see and be seen were important parts of the fair.
This year’s edition felt being dominated by paintings. Among the headline sales were a $2.2m Kerry Jane Marshall painting and a $1.2m Georg Baselitz painting. Just like at its Swiss counterpart, it surely seems like the art market is firing on all cylinders
Among our favorites were the translucent pink polyester structure by Do Ho Suh showcased by Lehman Maupin, Glen Wilson’s prints on synthetic resin (shown by Various Small Fires) as well as Lucy Bull’s stunning paintings in David Kordansky’s gallery. Of course visiting Frieze wouldn’t be complete without making a detour to two of our favorite things to do in London: enjoying a luxurious high tea at The Ritz and a dinner at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
