[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/White-Cube-Frieze-London-2026.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s Note:<\/strong> This story originally appeared in On Balance, <\/em>the ARTnews newsletter about the art market and beyond. Sign up here<\/em>to receive it every Wednesday.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s fun to celebrity watch the entrance to Frieze London<\/strong> in Regent\u2019s Park before the fair begins. As the floodgates opened for the VIP preview on Wednesday, Oscar-nominated actor Andrew Garfield<\/strong> and his girlfriend, actress Monica Barbaro<\/strong>, strolled in. Also present were Tilda Swinton<\/strong>, Bianca Jagger<\/strong>, London-based designer Dilara Findikoglu<\/strong>, and Raf Simons<\/strong>, Prada\u2019s Belgium-based co-creative director and a longtime art collector. \u201cI like everything about London,\u201d Simons told ARTnews<\/em>, \u201cespecially its people.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe night before, amid the horde at the opening of Thaddaeus Ropac<\/strong>\u2019s Georg Baselitz show, actor Damian Lewis was sizing up the big canvases. A couple of blocks down, you could find Serpentine Galleries artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist<\/strong> casting his discerning eye at a Turner-inspired Rirkrit Tiravanija seascape at Pilar Corrias gallery. The starry showing for London\u2019s offerings this week suggested that the city\u2019s art scene still has life in it, even if some skipped it entirely for Paris, where Art Basel opens next week.<\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s not worth rehashing the well-worn\u2014and, at this point, tedious\u2014London-versus-Paris debate. But most people weren\u2019t talking about it, either, on Wednesday at Frieze. Here\u2019s some of what sold by the end of the fair\u2019s first day. (While some of the mega-galleries post big ticket sales, it\u2019s hard to gauge the overall health of the art market at art fairs because overall sales data is not made public. Plus, galleries self-report their sales, which makes them tough to verify.)<\/p>\n \n\tThe mega-galleries have been relegated to the back of the fair\u2019s tent, to give smaller players the spotlight near the fair\u2019s entrance. Yet the placement did not deter Hauser & Wirth<\/strong> from selling most of its work by noon. Zoe Sperling<\/strong>, a partner at the gallery, told ARTnews<\/em> she\u2019d seen \u201ca lot of American and Asian collectors.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMore than 20 pieces sold at Hauser & Wirth\u2019s booths at Frieze London and Frieze Masters, totaling a sum of more than $11 million. Among the works sold were two Francis Picabia paintings, one untitled work from the 1940s sold for \u20ac1.1 million and Transparence, visage de femme <\/em>(1928\u201329) for six-figures.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThere\u2019s been tremendous energy here this morning,\u201d Sperling said. \u201cOne of the things we\u2019re really seeing is the interest from historic collectors that were maybe once more interested in traditional works and are now looking at contemporary works to complement their collections.\u201d Avery Singer\u2019s Solver (v.3)<\/em>, 2026, sold for $800,000, George Condo\u2019s Figure Composition<\/em>(2026) for $600,000, Lee Bul\u2019s Perdu\u2014Silhouette VII<\/em> (2026) for $290,000, and Christina Kimeze\u2019s Game on (crane\u2019s cut)<\/em>, 2026, for $195,000.<\/p>\n \n\tThe gallery also did well at Frieze Masters<\/strong>, where the offerings skew historical. Jan Brueghel the Elder\u2019s Still Life of Flowers in a Stoneware Vase <\/em>(1607\u20138) sold for around \u00a35 million (about $6.58 million). \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most important works we\u2019ve ever been involved with,\u201d Iwan Wirth<\/strong>, the gallery\u2019s president and cofounder, told ARTnews<\/em>. \u201cThe painting, made in the 17th century, stands as an exemplar of the kind of genius that contemporary artists look to in their own practice.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAt Lehmann Maupin<\/strong>\u2019s Frieze London booth, more than 10 works sold, including McArthur Binion\u2019s dna:sketch<\/em> (2024) for $150,000. Other notable works included Liza Lou\u2019s Azure<\/em> (2015) for $140,000 and Alex Prager\u2019s Ceremony<\/em> (2026) for $60,000. The gallery also said it sold several works by UK-based artists to private collections, varying from three new paintings by Billy Childish in the range of \u00a350,000\u2013\u00a360,000 ($65,900 to $79,100), to two new paintings by Freya Douglas-Morris in the range of \u00a330,000\u2013\u00a350,000 ($39,000\u2013$65,900), to two new works by Rana Begum in the range of \u00a325,000 to \u00a340,000 ($33,000\u2013$52,600).<\/p>\n \n\tThe British capital has a contagious energy, according to those who made a sale on the first day. \u201cLondon is buzzing. It is helped by its proximity to Art Basel Paris, as many international collectors and museums are coming first to London and then go on to Paris. Two very different birds with one stone,\u201d Sadie Coles<\/strong>, who runs her eponymous London gallery, told ARTnews<\/em>. \u201cThere is depth here, and so much on offer for visitors from outstanding younger galleries to major exhibitions in museums.\u201d<\/p>\n Perrotin<\/strong>\u2019s solo booth of Izumi Kato\u2019s paintings and sculptures sold for up to $250,000 each. The gallery had other notable sales from Oli Epp, whose new paintings sold for $55,000 each, and Shim Moon-Seup, who had a painting that fetched above $63,000. There was also a sculpture by Alma Allen, the artist controversially representing the United States at the Venice Biennale who will soon have a Perrotin show in Paris. It sold for $60,000.<\/p>\n David Zwirner<\/strong> moved 13 works that accounted for $4.55 million in sales. The top five pieces were paintings from Micha\u00ebl Borremans for $1.5 million, a Dana Schutz for $900,000, a Lisa Yuskavage for $450,000, a Portia Zvavahera for $300,000, and a a Sasha Gordon for $400,000, the latter of which went to a European museum that the gallery did not identify. \u201cFrieze London is still bringing people in, and it\u2019s not just local collectors. It has been a good international morning,\u201d James Green, associate partner and head of David Zwirner\u2019s London gallery told ARTnews<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tRather than solely hanging its art on the wall, White Cube<\/strong> experimented with a metal frame for its booth featuring sketches by Ilana Savdie. The gallery recorded $1.55 million in sales, with Savdie\u2019s painting The Great Compromise <\/em>(2026) selling for $175,000 and Conspiracy of the Barons<\/em>(2026) for $165,000. \u201cThe history of a place like this [London] is really hard to ignore,\u201d Savdie told ARTnews<\/em>. \u201cI look to a lot of the artists that have been based here and the movements that have taken place, there are incredible museums to be inspired by. I haven\u2019t spent enough time here to really be able to speak to it, but from afar I\u2019m a big admirer.\u201d<\/p>\n Edel Assanti<\/strong>\u2019s sales included the placement of two paintings by Thornton Dial, with prices ranging $160,000 to $230,000.<\/p>\n \n\tCollectors at the fair came from near and far. Selim Bouafsoun<\/strong>, the Tunisian collector based in Dubai, told ARTnews<\/em> he bought Tamo Jugeli\u2019s Swan in Lake <\/em>(2026) from Bukia Vakhania for $40,000 and Jonathan Okoronkwo\u2019s Wilderness Be the Anthem Rydee <\/em>(2026) from London\u2019s Emalin gallery for \u20ac20,000. He also snapped up Jacob Littlejohn\u2019s Over the Rills, the Crags, and the Hills<\/em> (2025) from Karma galleryfor $8,000.<\/p>\n Alain Servais<\/strong>, a Belgian collector, said he bought Ella Fleck\u2019s Training Material<\/em> (2026, one of three editions) from LA\u2019s Ehrlich Steinberg gallery for \u00a314,000 ($18,500).<\/p>\n \n\tBy 3 p.m., Pace Gallery<\/strong> had sold most of its paintings by Brazilian artist Marina Perez Sim\u00e3o, valued at prices up to $250,000. Pace chief executive Marc Glimcher stressed to ARTnews<\/em> the wide age range of collectors. \u201cWe had a lot of older collectors buy works today, someone in their 70s and a very young collector in their 20s,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \n\tNext door, Thaddaeus Ropac also nearly sold out, with work by Italian sculptor Leoncillo Leonardi (1915\u201368) drawing international buyers. Long revered by Italian connoisseurs but little known elsewhere, Leoncillo is enjoying something of a revival. Ropac announced representation in June, alongside the launch of a new foundation. The gallery\u2019s top prices included Martha Jungwirth\u2019s 202 painting Untitled (Berggasse 19)<\/em> at \u20ac560,000, Antony Gormley\u2019s Aside<\/em> (2025) at \u00a3500,000, and Adrian Ghenie\u2019s Untitled<\/em> (2026) at \u20ac380,000.<\/p>\n Xavier Hufkens<\/strong> reported selling more than 16 pieces, including a work on paper by Richard Serra for $750,000, a suite of Louise Bourgeois works on paper for $400,000, and two neon works by Tracey Emin for prices between \u00a395,000 and \u00a3105,000.<\/p>\n \n\tSeveral young galleries in the Focus section also did well. The Amsterdam-based Diez Gallery<\/strong> sold Jessica Wilson\u2019s video installation Sweet Nothing<\/em>(2025\u201326) for more than \u20ac20,000 to the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. \u201cLast Frieze London for me was a very bad one, and since then, the gallery has been doing its best year in terms of finances and new collections,\u201d dealer Diego Diez told ARTnews<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tDealer Gabriella Price<\/strong> from Heidi<\/strong> gallery told ARTnews<\/em> that her business relocated from Berlin to London this year to \u201cpursue fresh opportunities.\u201d \u201cLondon feels like a really fantastic city at this time, and the Focus section of Frieze gets so much attention with all the prize giving and funds that take place,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \n\tDealer Adam D. Miller<\/strong>, of the Los Angeles\u2013based gallery The Pit<\/strong>, returned to Frieze with renewed energy. He sold two thirds of the paintings from his solo booth for Bella Foster. \u201cWe want to develop more, particularly with European and UK institutions,\u201d he told ARTnews<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tOver at Frieze Masters, Andrew Edlin<\/strong> had a booth featuring the works of Frank Walter and Beverly Buchanan, whose work is in the Venice Biennale. The gallery said that a major museum board president\u2014one that it did not name\u2014purchased a 1990s work by Buchanan for a price between $65,000 and $125,000.<\/p>\n Robilant<\/strong> sold a mirror work by Michelangelo Pistoletto for \u20ac45,000 ($59,300) and two ceramics by Lucio Fontana, Bullfight<\/em> for \u20ac125,000 ($164,900) and Concetto Spaziale<\/em> for \u20ac250,000 ($329,700). \u201cWe have all seen the renewed interest in Old Masters as the pendulum swings from speculative to secure, and as clients look to artists who have already shown they can hold their value,\u201d gallery director Michele di Robilant<\/strong> told ARTnews<\/em>. He expressed optimism for the top of the market: \u201cClients are certainly finding their feet again at the top end. There is light at the end of the tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/market\/frieze-london-2026-sales-brueghel-painting-hauser-and-wirth-1234802398\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/White-Cube-Frieze-London-2026.jpg?w=1024″] Editor\u2019s Note: This story originally appeared in On Balance, the ARTnews newsletter about the art market and beyond. Sign up hereto receive it every Wednesday. It\u2019s fun to celebrity watch the entrance to Frieze London in Regent\u2019s Park before the fair begins. As the floodgates opened for the VIP preview on Wednesday, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,226],"class_list":["post-2199690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-artnews-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2199690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2199690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2199690\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2199690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2199690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2199690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}