Lana Del Rey and Charles Melton Attend Frieze Los Angeles 2024 Parties
Frieze Los Angeles saw 32,000 visitors from 48 countries across four days of the fair, wrapping Sunday. Now in its fifth edition, this year seemed to attract more viewers beyond the art world. It’s become a growing scene, the place to be — and be seen.
Frieze Week festivities began Feb. 26 at the official launch party hosted by Frieze at The Getty Villa. The highlight here was a performance by the L.A. Dance Project; dancers David Adrian Freeland Jr. and Daphne Fernberger presented an excerpt of “Be Here Now,” choreographed by Benjamin Millepied with music by Andy Akiho.
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The crowd was a mix of institutional figures and artists, including Frieze chief executive officer Simon Fox; Frieze Americas director Christine Messineo; Getty president and CEO Katherine E. Fleming; Art Production Fund executive director Casey Fremont; California African American Museum visual arts curator Essence Harden; MOCA director Johanna Burton; MoMA PS1 director Connie Butler; LACMA CEO and director Michael Govan, and the artists Henry Taylor, Doug Aitken and Tacita Dean.
“Once again, Frieze Los Angeles raised the bar,” Messineo said post-fair. “Following a strong preview day, galleries continued to report sold-out booths, seven-figure sales and notable museum acquisitions across the weekend.”
Of note, Gladstone Gallery sold the 2009 drawing “Pamuk” by Richard Serra for $2 million, as well as a painting by Alex Katz for $650,000. Thaddeus Ropac sold a charcoal drawing by Robert Longo for $1.6 million and a work by Anselm Kiefer for 1.3 million euros. Michael Rosenfeld Gallery placed paintings by Beauford Delaney and Norman Lewis, each between $1 million and $2 million.
David Kordansky Gallery, with locations in L.A. and New York, sold all works by American painter Sam McKinniss. London-based galleries Victoria Miro and Pilar Corrias sold out their works by artists Hernan Bas and Sabine Moritz, respectively. South Korea’s Gallery Hyundai sold out paintings by Kim Sung Yoon, while Milan and New York’s Kaufmann Repetto sold all works in their group presentation featuring Andrea Bowers, Katherine Bradford and Pae White.
“It’s amazing what’s happened to L.A.,” said Patrick Moore, director of The Andy Warhol Museum, a former L.A. resident who’s now on the East Coast. Last Monday, he was across town in Beverly Hills at Christie’s dinner celebrating its Andy Warhol exhibit, a collection of “Screen Tests” in partnership with The Andy Warhol Museum.
“Having all of these collectors now that are really kind of reaching the pinnacle, you have to have a fair like Frieze,” Moore added. It would be crazy if there wasn’t one here. Everybody wants to come to Los Angeles. It still has this mystic, this beauty.”
The next day, We Are Ona — the French food collective — presented its newest pop-up. The most innovative collaboration of Frieze Week, it was a culinary experience as part of an exhibition by Sized, the creative agency founded by Alexander May. Among a series of shows titled “Sized Selects,” it was a commentary on L.A.’s car culture, with black automobiles displayed as sculptures inside Howard Hughes’ former headquarters. The We Are Ona menu was created by chef Valentin Raffali of Marseille, France, with wine pairing by Luca Pronzato, We Are Ona’s founder. Guests sat on furniture by designer Willo Perron and Switzerland’s USM Modular Furniture, which are available for purchase.
There were a number of design-art activations. (In beauty, at the fair itself, luxury South Korean brand Poiret continued its collaboration with artist Laure Prouvost, presenting “Oui Grow” inside the beauty lounge. Visitors played a game of roulette to receive product samples while viewing the installation.)
Last Tuesday evening the party was downtown in celebration of OTW by Vans and S.R. Studio. LA. CA.’s sneaker collaboration by American artist Sterling Ruby. A skateable installation served as the piece de resistance, designed by Playlab Inc. in collaboration with Ruby. Salem and Paris Texas performed, bringing out actor Charles Melton and Vans athletes Curren Caples, Efron Danzig, Elijah Berle, Nick Michel, Roman Pabich, Rowan Zorilla and Zion Wright.
Wednesday night was the busiest of all. During the day Art Production Fund and Frieze hosted an intimate lunch at The Maybourne, Beverly Hills’s Terrace to celebrate “Set Seen,” the on-site public Frieze project featuring works related to “constructed environments.” Guests included participating artists Sharif Farrag, Cynthia Talmadge, Ryan Flores and Matt Johnson, along with Art Production Fund’s Casey Fremont, Frieze’s Christine Messineo, Shantell Martin and Sanford Biggers.
Later, Staud, with Jeffrey Deitch, hosted a cocktail party at the brand’s new design office. On display were commissioned works by artists Isabelle Albuquerque, Karon Davis, Cheyenne Julien, Ariana Papademetropolous and Emma Webster. The artists reimagined the brand’s Super Moon Bag into works that were available for auction, with proceeds benefiting various charities chosen by the artists. Guests included designer and Staud founder Sarah Staudinger, Este Haim, Vince Staples and Iris Apatow.
Meanwhile Rimowa toasted the opening of its newly renovated 1,400-square-foot Beverly Hills store on Rodeo Drive, with sought-after tattoo artist Dr. Woo. Guests included Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold, ASAP Nast, Luka Sabbat, who was tapped as DJ, and Kendrick Sampson.
And Serpentine Galleries hosted its annual late-night bash on the eve of the fair.
“Welcome to the Wild West if you’re from way out town,” said Sybil Robson Orr, cohost with husband Matthew at their home in the hills. This year, the London-based institution was celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its Serpentine Americas Foundation, aimed to help amplify the voice of American artists globally. It’s led by CEO Bettina Korek, an L.A. native, and artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist.
Guests included singer Lana Del Rey, actor Zachary Quinto and a number of artists including Lauren Halsey, Refik Anadol, Alex Israel and Jwan Yosef.
Stone Island also had a reason to celebrate. The Italian luxury brand, owned by Moncler, threw a party to unveil its sprawling “Selected Works ‘982-‘024” exhibition, a presentation of its archives at Buttercup Studios in Culver City. Stone Island signed a multiyear global deal with Frieze that kicked off last year; it supports “Focus,” a section of the fair dedicated to younger galleries.
“We have a lot of artists who wear Stone Island,” said the brand’s CEO Robert Triefus. “And I have always been impressed with the way that Frieze helps aspiring art — and individuals. But what’s interesting is their approach to the artistic community.”
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