Return of the art fairs:
Frieze London and Frieze Masters to open in Regent’s Park

After a year’s break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Frieze London and Frieze Masters will return to the traditional tents in Regent’s Park from October 13 to 17, 2021. Deutsche Bank, Global Lead Partner of the worldwide fairs, has collaborated with Frieze in London for 18 years in succession. Recently, the partnership was extended until 2025. The art fair’s return has been brilliant: more than 160 galleries art participating in Frieze London, and 130 in Frieze Masters. The two events bring together galleries from over 40 countries, showcasing art from all epochs, ranging from ancient art and Old Masters works to modern classics and contemporary artworks. A special edition of the Frieze Viewing Room will go online in parallel to the fair, featuring an expanded list of international exhibitors. As always, the two fairs will offer visitors the opportunities to make new discoveries as well as museum-worthy presentations, embedded in a curated supporting program that includes performances and talks.

This year, the London-based artist Idris Khan will be showcased in the Deutsche Bank Wealth Management Lounges at Frieze. Additionally, with Deutsche Bank’s support, the third edition of Art:LIVE will be realized, a new online streaming and video program that gives everyone access to expert knowledge about contemporary art and culture and provides insights about Frieze.

The highlights in London include the solo presentation of the German painter and wife of Gerhard Richter, Sabine Moritz, at Pilar Corrias; a solo exhibition of the young hip British painter Ella Walker at Casey Kaplan; and David Zwirner’s double show with Oscar Murillo and Carol Bove. Apart from the main fair, the Focus section is dedicated to galleries that were founded in the last twelve years, providing a platform for today’s most exciting emerging artists. Also debuting at Frieze is Unworlding, a new section curated by Cedric Fauq, in which artists explore the dissolution of familiar worldviews, radical global change, and utopias. This year’s Frieze Talks include the Indonesian artist group Ruangrupa, which is curating the next documenta, as well as Simon Fujiwara and Arthur Jafa. The Frieze Sculpture section in Regent’s Park brings together works by Ibrahim El-Salahi, Isamu Noguchi, Solange Pessoa, and Rose Wylie, among others.

One of the absolute attractions at Frieze Masters will doubtlessly be the exhibition of early works by South African artist William Kentridge at Marian Goodman Gallery, where his first animated film of charcoal drawings and collages will also be on view. Thaddaeus Ropac will reconstruct one of curator Rudi Fuchs’ presentations at the 1982 documenta, which featured Georg Baselitz, Gilbert & George, Robert Mapplethorpe, Arnulf Rainer, and Emilio Vedova. Parallel to the major Goya show at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, the London gallery Stair Sainty is exhibiting the last painting by Francisco de Goya in private hands.

The Spotlight section curated by Laura Hoptman (The Drawing Center, New York), which presents overlooked and forgotten 20th-century artists, is eagerly awaited. The positions shown here have a good chance of being included in the canon and considered for museum exhibitions.

This year, Frieze Masters will introduce a new section called Stand Out. It brings together arts and crafts from all eras, great design works of sculptural and conceptual brilliance that stand out due to their beauty and idiosyncratic nature. The Talks at Frieze Masters 2021 include artist Tacita Dean and designer Dries van Noten.

Needless to say, London’s museums are also offering fantastic exhibitions, including the Paula Rego retrospective at Tate BritainPoussin and the Dance at the National Gallery, and the Theaster Gates show at the Whitechapel Gallery. So there is much to look forward to—the return of the fair and a Frieze Week that will once again demonstrate why London is one of the world’s most significant art capitals.

Frieze London
The Regent’s Park
October 13–17, 2021
frieze.com/fairs/frieze-london