Hope Runs High at Frieze L.A. as Art Buys Drive Fire Relief

Frieze Los Angeles’s director, Christine Messineo, had an inkling that this year’s fair would start out strong. Attendance at the customary invite-only breakfast that fair organizers host each year “far exceeded our expectations,” she told me.

A few hours into the fair’s VIP preview on Thursday at the Santa Monica Airport, the excitement was clear. Gallerists and visitors agreed that the fair was lively—bustling but not frenzied—with enthusiastic crowds arriving as soon as the doors opened. Among the throngs were celebs like Christian Bale, Katie Couric, Kid Cudi, James Franco, Britt Marling, Gwyneth Paltrow, Oliver Stone, and Russell Tovey. Reports of sold-out booths and individual works being snapped up mounted quickly.

The upbeat atmosphere contrasted sharply with the uncertainty surrounding Frieze just weeks ago, as wildfires devastated entire neighborhoods in Malibu, Altadena, and the Pacific Palisades, northwest of Santa Monica. Thousands of Angelenos, many artists among them, lost their homes in the blazes, and there were serious doubts about whether the fair could proceed as planned. Yet, in mid-January, Frieze organizers said they would go ahead with the event in “a way that genuinely supports the local economy and the arts community.”

To that end, Frieze has incorporated several fundraising and relief efforts for wildfire victims into its programming. Messineo highlighted the Frieze Arts Alliance, a new initiative involving about 20 museums nationwide, including the Guggenheim in New York and the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, among others. The alliance’s members will use their acquisition budgets to purchase artworks at the fair, supporting both artists and recovery efforts. “Institutions had conversations with their curators asking, ‘What can we do to talk to trustees to raise money?’ ” Messineo said. “It’s been amazing. It’s an incredible group of museums who are saying, ‘This is my way of showing up for Los Angeles.’ ”

Hayal Pozanti, A Reaching Around of Arms (2025). Courtesy of the artist and Timothy Taylor Gallery

When asked about any logistical challenges posed by the disaster, especially with Frieze’s tents, Messineo said, “We hit our timelines and started on time.” She added that lighting, security, and food vendors emphasized the fair’s importance, noting that the fair’s economic impact “extends far beyond the art market.”

Numerous galleries at the fair have dedicated their booths to fire-relief efforts. London’s Victoria Miro Gallery has part of its stand showcasing works donated from other participating galleries, with sales benefiting the L.A. Arts Community Fire Relief Fund. Perrotin rejigged half of its booth to present works by L.A.-based artists like Claire Tabouret, Emma Webster, and Alex Gardner, donating a portion of sales to relief funds. L.A. Louver is offering limited-edition prints by Alison Saar and Gajin Fujita, also with proceeds going to fire relief.

VIPs were happy to spend during the opening hours of the fair, whether driven by philanthropy or personal interest. Art advisor Karen Boyer, who was walking the aisles with a few of her clients in tow, said, “People came, they’re interested in buying.” How could she tell? Several works she had inquired about had already been spoken for.

Installation view of Patrick Eugene at Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Frieze LA. Photo: Eileen Kinsella.

Dealer Timothy Taylor, who has gallery locations in London and New York, was a first-time exhibitor. Although a seasoned Frieze London participant, he initially needed some persuasion to exhibit on the West Coast. By midday on Wednesday, he seemed convinced. “I am incredibly inspired by all the people that are here,” Taylor said. “I mean, I’m slightly surprised at how many people I know who traveled to L.A. for the fair.”

Taylor reported a nearly sold-out booth with most works going to private U.S. collections. These included a canvas by British figurative painter Antonia Showering for £60,000 ($63,000), a painting by American artist Sean Landers for $45,000, Hayal Pozanti’s vibrant semi-abstract paintings for $75,000 each as well as a work on paper for $4,800, two paintings by Paul Anthony Smith for $35,000 each, and a sculpture by Annie Morris for $162,000.

Near the entrance of the fair, Chicago dealer Mariane Ibrahim presented a striking presentation of works by Patrick Eugène, a Brooklyn-born, Haitian American artist who often mines his family history for compelling portraits that convey a sense of quiet intensity. The works were painted against walls of a deep ochre. Works were priced at $14,500 to $60,000. (I spotlighted Eugène as an artist to watch during the 2023 edition of Expo Chicago, when his paintings were priced from $10,500 to $48,000 at his solo show at Ibrahim’s gallery.)

Installation view of Maia Cruz Palileo at David Kordansky Gallery, Frieze LA. Photo by Eileen Kinsella

David Kordansky’s booth was also abuzz with interest in the works of Maia Cruz Palileo, a Brooklyn-based artist whose intricate paintings and sculptures have an almost folk-art quality. They draw on their family’s experience migrating from the Philippines to the U.S. Prices ranged from $8,000 to $80,000.

Other reported sales included three Keith Haring works at Gladstone Gallery, where one of the artist’s paintings on glass went for $2 million. Editions of Robert Mapplethorpe’s photos, priced between $200,000 and $300,000, also sold, as did several of David Salle’s paintings for $140,000 each. Gladstone also sold a Ugo Rondinone painting for $240,000, a diptych by Frances Stark for $25,000, and works on paper by Amy Sillman for $75,000 each.

Ambera Wellmann, Ferox (2024). Image courtesy the artist and Company and Hauser and Wirth.

David Zwirner made several significant sales, including an Elizabeth Peyton painting for $2.8 million, a Noah Davis work for $2.5 million, an Alice Neel painting for $1.8 million, and a Lisa Yuskavage painting for $1.6 million. The gallery also sold two Kai Althoff works on paper ($150,000–$400,000), an Emma McIntyre piece for $100,000, a Walter Price work for $30,000, and a 2003 painting by Laura Owens.

As collaborative representation and resource-sharing models proliferate in the art world, Hauser and Wirth co-organized a solo presentation of Ambera Wellman’s works in connection with Company Gallery. Works are priced between $20,000 to $210,000. The two galleries announced joint representation of the Canadian artist under Hauser’s Collective Impact Initiative in 2023, which is billed as a “blueprint” for a new type of collaboration between galleries of different sizes. Hauser and Wirth’s president, Marc Payout, called it “a very special moment” because of the “equal partnership with Company.”