Every October, the art world descends upon London to exchange pleasantries about the long summer, trade all manners of gossip about the industry, and (hopefully) buy and sell a hefty amount of artwork. The main event is Frieze London, with Frieze Masters and its more staid, genteel crowd in accompaniment. But beyond the marquee fairs are a slate of heavyweight auctions, an array of galleries opening grade-A shows, and an untold number of smaller satellite events around the city… not to mention the high likelihood of some new Banksy mischief.
For those consumed by the action and those who didn’t make it across the pond—either because they were soaking in the JOMO or because they had other obligations—below is a recap of everything artnet News published related to another wild Frieze Week.
GUIDES
Art Fair Guide: Everything You Need to Know About the 7 Fairs Taking Over London During Frieze Week 2019 by Luise Wank
In London for Frieze Week? Don’t Miss These 15 Must-See Gallery Shows During the Fair by Naomi Rea & Javier Pes
HIGHLIGHTS
Sadie Coles, Frieze London 2019 Photo by Linda Nylind. Courtesy Linda Nylind / Frieze.
The Most Expensive Work Ever to Come to Frieze Masters Is This Magnificent $30 Million Botticelli Portrait by Naomi Rea
Tate Acquires Work by an Overlooked Textile Artist, a Video Inspired by Cancer Treatment, and Other Works From Frieze 2019 by Kate Brown
5 Outstanding Works at Frieze London, From a Gripping Painting by Thornton Dial to Some Unsettling Photos by Cindy Sherman by Andrew Goldstein
7 Impressive Emerging Artists to Watch From the Frieze Week Fairs in London by artnet News
ANALYSIS
Victoria Miro at Frieze Art Fair 2019, London. Photo: Linda Nylind.
Art Dealers at Frieze Masters Are Hustling to Make Sales Despite a Low Supply of High-Quality Works by Julia Halperin
‘I Have an Enormous Belief in London’: Frieze Dealers Make Their Case in the Fair’s Early Hours as Brexit Looms and Galleries Flirt With Paris by Nate Freeman
As the Art World Stomps Its Carbon Footprint Across London, Dealers and Frieze Are Innovating New Green Solutions by Javier Pes & Naomi Rea
Is Infantilism the Key to KAWS’s Unstoppable Rise? Kenny Schachter Peers Behind the Scenes at the London and Hong Kong Auctions by Kenny Schacter
PEOPLE
Nicky Wilson. Photo by Anna Kunst Courtesy Jupiter Artland.
How Does a Super-Collector Shop at Frieze London? We Tagged Along with Jupiter Artland Patron Nicky Wilson by Javier Pes
At London’s 1–54 Fair, Curator Azu Nwagbogu Lays Out the Pitfalls of the New Wave of Interest in African Contemporary Art by Kate Brown
‘Important and Timely’ or ‘the Ugliest Painting Ever Made’? How the Art World Is Parsing Nate Lowman’s New Show at David Zwirner London by Nate Freeman
Mark Bradford’s Brooding New Show Looks at the Most Urgent Environmental and Political Catastrophes of Our Time by Naomi Rea
SALES
Installation view of Phillips London in advance of its October 2019 Frieze Week sales. Courtesy of Phillips.
Price Check! Here’s What Sold—and for How Much—at Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2019 by artnet News
Christie’s Kicks Off Frieze Week With a Bang With the $28 Million Sale of British Businessman Jeremy Lancaster’s Collection by Colin Gleadell
Phillips Defies Brexit Gloom as Records Tumble in Its $32 Million Contemporary Art Sale in London by Colin Gleadell
Sotheby’s Stages a Stolid $67.3 Million Frieze Week Sale, Despite Boffo Bidding for Banksy, Basquiat, and Bacon by Colin Gleadell
In a Market Lacking Overall Confidence, Christie’s London Puts Together a Solid $79.6 Million Contemporary Sale by Colin Gleadell
THE WEEK IN BANKSY
Members of the public queue to look at a new installation by elusive artist Banksy on October 1, 2019 in Croydon. Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images.
Banksy’s Latest Elaborate Stunt in London Is Actually an Advertisement for His New Online Home Goods Shop by Taylor Dafoe
Banksy (and His Lawyer) Explain Why Fakes Have Forced the Artist to Go Into E-Commerce and Sharpen His Art by Sarah Cascone
Banksy’s Chimp Parliament Painting Sells for a Startling $12 Million at Sotheby’s, Prompting Both Cheers and Jeers by Colin Gleadell
THE BIGGER (FAIR) PICTURE
Art Basel Hong Kong. Courtesy Art Basel.
The Gray Market: Why Endeavor’s Aborted IPO Is—and Isn’t—Like a ‘Burned’ Auction Lot (and Other Insights) by Tim Schneider
Money Troubles Force MCH Group, Art Basel’s Parent Company, to Choose Its Fairs Over Its Event-Marketing Business by Tim Schneider & Eileen Kinsella
As the Unrest in Hong Kong Intensifies, Dealers Grapple With the Pros and Cons of Attending Art Basel’s Fair in the City by Julia Halperin & Naomi Rea & Kate Brown