Frieze Masters
Press Release
21 October 2014
Frieze Masters 2014: High-Quality
Presentations Attract Major
International Collectors and Curators
Frieze Masters returned to Gloucester Green in London’s Regent’s Park for
its third edition, with another year of widespread acclaim and buoyant sales.
Dedicated to art from ancient to modern, Frieze Masters 2014 saw 37,000
visitors over the six days of its opening, demonstrating the event’s popularity.
Frieze Masters is a carefully selected presentation of 127 of the world’s leading
galleries and is sponsored in 2014 by Deutsche Bank for the third consecutive
year.
Designed by New York-based Selldorf Architects, Frieze Masters benefits
from a contemporary, elegant environment where ancient and modern art
can be shown side by side. Coinciding with and within walking distance of
Frieze London, together the two fairs encourage a crossover between audiences of contemporary and historical art.
Next October, Victoria Siddall will assume the the role of Director of all
three Frieze fairs adding Frieze London 2015 and Frieze New York 2016 to
her existing position as Director of Frieze Masters.
Victoria Siddall said: ‘This year at Frieze Masters we’ve seen an extraordinary quality and range of work, including many solo presentations of artists,
some of them the leading names in art history and others proving to be exciting discoveries for many visitors. I am thrilled by the excellent attendance
including collectors, curators and artists from all over the world, and by the
overwhelmingly positive response to the fair from those who spent time there.
It feels that Frieze Masters in its third year has really established itself as a
destination in the international calendar. I was also delighted to witness the
enthusiastic response to Frieze London this year and am more excited than
ever to be taking over the directorship of all three Frieze fairs from 2015.’
Gallery Response
Bona Montagu of Skarstedt said, ‘It was a great pleasure to take part in
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21 October 2014, Frieze Masters 2014: High-Quality Presentations Attract Major
International Collectors and Curators
Frieze Masters again this year. We are always impressed with the breadth
and quality that has become synonymous with this art fair. The attendance
of many of the world’s most established art collectors and curators as well as
new buyers is testament to its growing importance and relevance. We were
pleased to bring Andy Warhol’s The Scream (after Edvard Munch) which we
sold on the opening day, alongside other historic works by Martin Kippenberger, Barbara Kruger and George Condo. Frieze Masters is a thoroughly
enjoyable experience for visitors and exhibitors alike and we look forward to
returning next year.’
Sukanya Rajartnam, Partner, Mnuchin Gallery commented: ‘Each year
Frieze Masters continues to grow in quality, both in the work presented and
general ambience. We were delighted to utilize the fair as a platform for
returning David Smith’s work to an international audience with the first solo
presentation of the artist’s work in the UK since his retrospective at the Tate
Modern in 2006-2007. We were also delighted to make a $2.4 million sale
within the fair’s opening hours with continuing sales with collectors we met
for the first time. We look forward to showing at Frieze Masters in future
years.’
Jack Kilgore was also very complimentary, ‘It’s been a pleasure to see interesting collectors here every day, right through the weekend. Every year the
fair seems to grow, with the quality this year higher than ever and more museums in attendance. The design is another aspect of the fair that really works
for me, the simplicity of the experience lets the art shine.’
Dominique Lévy concurred, ‘As in previous years, Frieze Masters has proven
to be a fair of the highest quality. We were delighted to participate, we met
wonderful new collectors and placed interesting works of art around the
world.’
Salomon Lilian said, ‘We sold a fantastic painting by Jan Massys; signed and
dated 1557, it is a masterpiece by the artist. We are pleased with the fair and
intend to participate next year.’
Iwan Wirth commented: ‘Frieze Masters reigns supreme as the most sophisticated fair out there. The sheer quality of the exhibition space itself encourages all galleries to go further, and we rose to the challenge with our significant
solo presentation of Jean Tinguely, which resulted in major sales to serious
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21 October 2014, Frieze Masters 2014: High-Quality Presentations Attract Major
International Collectors and Curators
collectors and critical acclaim.’
Marcus Marschall of Daxer & Marschall added: ‘It was our first time here
so we weren’t sure what to expect and we have been delighted as we saw an
amazing group of people and had tremendous sales. We’ve sold work every
day of the fair, some to national museums, and met people who we’d heard of
before but never met before in the flesh. We really couldn’t be happier.’
Georg Laue said, ‘We are very happy with our debut at Frieze Masters, and
we had good response from all sides: collectors, artists as well as museum curators. Visitors especially liked the way we have placed Renaissance objects
in dialogue with modern artworks and we enjoyed positive reactions from
many visiting contemporary artists, including Thomas Schütte, Edmund de
Waal and Anthony Gormley.’
Lance Entwistle commented: ‘The momentum for this fair keeps on growing
and it’s a serious destination for a high caliber of collector. It’s particularly
gratifying for us to connect with a younger audience as the fair brings such a
fresh energy to the field.’
Spotlight
Sales and interest in the Spotlight section of the fair, dedicated to solo presentations of artists working throughout the 20th century, was similarly strong.
Selected by curator Adriano Pedrosa, Spotlight included artists from 14 territories working throughout the twentieth century.
Alison Jacques showing in the Spotlight section of the fair said: ‘This is our
third year at Frieze Masters, we’ve done every year since opening and it’s
more than a fair, as the quality of work and environment is A plus. It has
allowed us to present a solo show of Hannah Wilke’s work, and get a good
response from both museum directors and private collectors.’
Saleh M. Barakat and Carol A. Chehab from Agial Gallery commented:
‘This is our second year participating in Frieze Masters and our experience
was very positive. As a gallery from Beirut it is very rewarding to achieve visibility for our pioneering artists, particularly among institutions and museums.’
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21 October 2014, Frieze Masters 2014: High-Quality Presentations Attract Major
International Collectors and Curators
Neil Dundas of Goodman Gallery was also enthusiastic: ‘We have been in
amazing company in Spotlight and heard a number of clients describe the
fair as jaw-dropping. It’s different from any other fair we do and one our
favourites. The design and visual language of the fair is extraordinary and
Sue Williamson’s work has resonated extraordinarily well so it’s been very
valuable to be here.’
Frieze Masters Talks
The Frieze Masters Talks programme explores how contemporary art engages with art throughout the ages, by bringing together leading international
artists with the directors and curators of renowned historical and encyclopedic museums. Frieze Masters Talks is sponsored by Gucci, Associate Sponsor
of Frieze Masters 2014.
The participants for 2014 were: William Kentridge with Ernst Vegelin van
Claerbergen, Head of the Courtauld Gallery in London; Phyllida Barlow
with Luke Syson, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Chairman of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York;
and Edmund de Waal with Paulus Rainer, Deputy Head of Kunstkammer
and Treasury at Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. A new panel, ‘Collecting Beyond Contemporary’ was chaired by Wim Pijbes, Director of the
Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and included panelists Marguerite Hoffman,
Danny Katz and Taylor Thomson. Frieze Masters Talks is programmed by
Jasper Sharp.
Sponsors and Supporters
Colin Grassie, Deutsche Bank UK CEO said: ‘Over three decades Deutsche
Bank has built an art collection that looks to the future and promotes new
talent. Our partnership with Frieze is part of a global commitment to supporting artists and bringing people closer to art. At Frieze London and Frieze
Masters you can see both the most exciting art of the moment and the art of
the past presented through a contemporary lens.’
Michele Faissola, Member of the Group Executive Committee and Global
Head of Asset & Wealth Management at Deutsche Bank, added: ‘Deutsche
Bank is delighted to support Frieze for an eleventh consecutive year. The fairs
– which this year featured 7000 year-old Neolithic works at the same time as
contemporary pieces – create a unique opportunity for Londoners and visitors to engage with the past and future through art.’
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21 October 2014, Frieze Masters 2014: High-Quality Presentations Attract Major
International Collectors and Curators
Museum Groups
The fair had strong institutional attendance, with over 100 groups from the
world’s major museums, including those from Argentina, Brazil, Canada,
China, France, Germany, Italy, Peru, Russia, and the USA. Visiting museum
groups included the Art Institute of Chicago (USA), CAFA (China), The
Contemporary Austin (USA), Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (USA),
Hermitage Foundation (UK), ICA Philadelphia (USA), LACMA (USA),
MACRO (Italy), Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA), MOCA (USA),
MoMA(USA), Rijksmuseum (Netherlands), Stedelijk Museum (Netherlands)
and Tate (UK).
More from Frieze
For regular updates on all the fair’s news sign up to the Frieze newsletter via
Frieze.com, follow @friezemasters on Twitter and @friezeartfair on Instagram.
— End.
Press Contacts:
UK, Europe & ROW
Scott & Co
Selina Jones
scott-andco.com
tel: + 44 (0)20 3487 0077
[email protected]
US & Americas
Black Frame
Tyler Mahowald
framenoir.com
tel: + 1 212 226 2196
[email protected]
Frieze Contact:
Belinda Bowring
frieze.com
tel: +44 (0)20 3372 6135
[email protected]
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21 October 2014, Frieze Masters 2014: High-Quality Presentations Attract Major
International Collectors and Curators
Notes to Editors
Frieze Masters: Frieze Masters is a carefully selected presentation of over
120 of the world’s leading galleries, showing art made before the year 2000.
The fair gives a contemporary perspective on art of all ages. Coinciding with,
and within walking distance of Frieze London, Frieze Masters takes place
in Gloucester Green, The Regent’s Park, London, and is sponsored by Main
Sponsor Deutsche Bank, with Gucci joining this year as Associate Sponsor.
Frieze London: Established in 2003 by Matthew Slotover and Amanda
Sharp, Frieze London is one of the world’s leading art fairs and takes place
each October in Regent’s Park, London. In 2012 Frieze established two further
art fairs, Frieze New York, which takes place on Randall’s Island, Manhattan each May, and Frieze Masters, which coincides with Frieze London and is
dedicated to art from ancient to modern. Frieze London is sponsored by Main
Sponsor Deutsche Bank, with Alexander McQueen as Associate Sponsor.
Victoria Siddall, Director of Frieze Masters has worked for Frieze since
2004. From November 2014 she will become Director of all three Frieze Fairs.
The first new fair with Victoria as Director will be Frieze London 2015.
Adriano Pedrosa is an independent curator, editor and writer based in São
Paulo. He was Adjunct Curator of the 24th Bienal de São Paulo (1998), CoCurator of the 27th Bienal de São Paulo (2006), Curator of Museu de Arte da
Pampulha, Belo Horizonte (2001-2003), Curator of InSite_05, San Diego/,
Tijuana (2005), Curator of 31st Panorama da Arte Brasileira (Museu de Arte
Moderna de São Paulo, 2009), Artistic Director of the 2nd Trienal Poli/Gráfica de San Juan (2009), and Co-Curator of the 12th Istanbul Biennial.
Jasper Sharp is Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, and was Commissioner of the Austrian Pavilion at
the 2013 Venice Biennale.
Selldorf Architects has an international reputation for the specific demands
of art-related projects, having completed numerous gallery, exhibition and
studio spaces, as well as museums, art foundations and collectors’ homes.
Completed projects include: Acquavella Galleries, New York; David Zwirner
New York; Gladstone Gallery 21st Street and 24th Street, New York; Hauser
& Wirth, London, New York and Zurich; and Neue Galerie New York: Museum for German and Austrian Art.
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21 October 2014, Frieze Masters 2014: High-Quality Presentations Attract Major
International Collectors and Curators
Gucci: Founded in Florence in 1921, Gucci is one of the world’s leading luxury
fashion brands. With a renowned reputation for quality and Italian craftsmanship, Gucci designs, manufactures and distributes highly desirable products such as leather goods (handbags, small leather goods, and luggage), shoes,
ready-to-wear, silks, timepieces and fine jewelry. Eyewear and fragrances
are manufactured and distributed under license by global industry leaders in
these two sectors. Gucci products are sold exclusively through a network of
directly operated boutiques (480 as of June 2014) and through e-commerce,
as a valuable complementary business channel. Gucci products are also distributedthrough a small number of franchises, and selected department and
specialty stores. Gucci is part of the Kering Group, a world leader in apparel
and accessories which develops an ensemble of powerful luxury and sport and
lifestyle brands. For more information about Gucci, please visit gucci.com.
Frieze Masters 2014 – Information
Public opening dates:
Wednesday, 15 October 12–7pm
Thursday, 16 October 11–7pm
Friday, 17 October 11–7pm
Saturday, 18 October 11–7pm
Sunday, 19 October 11–6pm
Preview
Tuesday, 14 October
For further information visit FriezeMasters.com
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21 October 2014, Frieze Masters 2014: High-Quality Presentations Attract Major
International Collectors and Curators