"Many Islands of Daring": Frieze New York 2019

Frieze New York closed its eighth edition on May 5, having driven significant sales and acquisitions by major institutions and collectors, across a wide range of price points, and on every day of the fair.

Led by Artistic Director Loring Randolph and Director Victoria Siddall - in collaboration with museum curators and directors - the fair brought together collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts from around the world, who responded enthusiastically to the exceptional gallery presentations and record curated content. View highlights from the fair.

Here's what collectors, media and galleries had to say about Frieze New York and its new sections and exhibitions.

Collectors
It was terrific to see a truly diverse and thoughtful selection of art at Frieze New York this year! The solo presentation of Jenny Holzer at Hauser and Wirth, especially her new redaction paintings, was visually stunning and very relevant to our current times. Other highlights for me ranged from the superbly curated JAM section by Franklin Sirmans, to discovering young artists at Pippi Houldsworth like Jade Fadoujotimi and Stefanie Hienze, as well as the striking solo presentation of Firelei Baez’s works. -Komal Shah, trustee of SFMOMA and the Tate Americas Foundation

Media
There are many islands of daring, including special sections focused on solo presentations, small galleries, the influential gallery JAM and virtual reality -The New York Times (USA)

Weird and invigorating things happen at Frieze New York! -Garage (USA)

Frieze New York marked its eighth year with an expansive array of new, specially curated presentations. In particular, this year's programming demonstrated conscientious effort toward providing a platform for diverse and overlooked artists alongside the usual household names -ArtAsiaPacific (Hong Kong)

Collectors were once again awed by the quality of the work, and sales were brisk in an art market that has seen subtle changes but keeps going strong... The atmosphere was upbeat, and dealers were optimistic -Forbes (USA)

After only seven editions, Frieze New York has firmly cemented itself as 'New York's most important art fair'... The fair's strength lies in exposing people to unfamiliar galleries and artwork -iD/Vice (USA)

Galleries
We’ve had a fantastic week at Frieze New York this year. Our team made strong sales each day for the entire run of the show, placing several works in important private and public collections to American and international clients. From the curated sections, down to the restaurant partners and the ferry, every aspect is carefully considered, contributing to a truly unique experience unlike any other fair. -Lisa Spellman, founder of 303 Gallery (New York)

We saw strong sales, particularly in the opening days with pieces finding homes in the US, EU, and Hong Kong, reflecting the international presence of buyers in attendance. As a platform for future endeavours, the fairs have always provided a critical and engaged audience, enabling institutional dialogue and opening up exciting opportunities for our artists that we look forward to developing in the near future.” -Thaddaeus Ropac

Frieze Sculpture at Rockefeller Center
Open now through June 28, Frieze Sculpture launched at Rockefeller Center this year. Brett Littman (Director of the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in Long Island City, New York), oversees the new public art initiative, which is free and open to all, and features many artists presenting public sculpture in New York for the first time.

Frieze Sculpture has been a successful part of Frieze's London fair since 2005, but this is the first time it has opened in another city. It represents a strategic attempt to make the fair more accessible, literally and figuratively and also highlights that the initiative will return next year as a part of ongoing attempts to make the fair's presence felt in central Manhattan -Financial Times (UK)

The inaugural New York edition of Frieze Sculpture is making the most of the neighbourhood's rapid foot traffic, enticing locals and tourists alike with a smorgasbord of visual encounters. The striking sculptures tap into the social dynamic of its busy surroundings, weaving compelling narratives with the city's vernacular architecture -Wallpaper

JAM (Just Above Midtown)
Also new for 2019, Franklin Sirmans (Director of the Perez Art Museum Miami) joined the fair to oversee this year’s tribute section celebrating the enduring legacy of Linda Goode Bryant and her pivotal New York gallery, Just Above Midtown (JAM). Watch a video with Goode Bryant here.

Jenkins Johnson Gallery was awarded the 2019 Stand Prize, for its solo JAM presentation by Ming Smith - the first black female photographer acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, New York). On the opening day of Frieze New York, MoMA announced its plans for a major exhibition on JAM in 2022.

The MoMA show is my second chance, and Frieze is a part of that -Linda Goode Bryant, The Art Newspaper

Diálagos
Diálagos is a fitting title for the collaborative show of strength, through which the trade fair entwines the marketplace with storytelling and major cultural events -Monopol

Patrick Charpenel (Executive Director of El Museo del Barrio, New York) and Susanna V. Temkin (Curator) curated Diálogos, a new themed section for Latinx and Latin American art at this year's fair. The 2019 LIFEWTR Fund acquired a painting for the Brooklyn Museum (New York) by Gala Porras-Kim, presented by Commonwealth & Council (Los Angeles) as part of Diálagos. Watch videos with other featured artists Firelei Baez and Rubén Ortiz Torres.

Frame
Once again, the Frame section brought together a cutting-edge selection of emerging galleries from across the world. The LIFEWTR Fund enabled the Brooklyn Museum to acquire a significant work by Diedrick Brackens, presented by Various Small Fires (Los Angeles) as part of Frame, Brackens' textile piece, when no softness came (2019), joins one of the nation’s most comprehensive collections, spanning 5,000 years of human creativity from cultures in every corner of the globe. Watch a video with the Brooklyn Museum here.

New Exhibitions
Frieze New York also introduced two exhibitions in 2019. Electric, dedicated to Virtual Reality artwork, was curated by Daniel Birnbaum (renowned Curator, Director of Acute Art and formerly Director of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm). Audiences applauded Electric as a glimpse of what to come. Artnet said, the show of virtual reality art offers collectors a look into the future at Frieze New York. Watch videos with Daniel Birnbaum and artist Rachel Rossin. 

In addition, artist Javier Téllez curated The Doors of Perception, an exhibition of visionary self-taught artists in collaboration with the Outsider Art Fair. Watch a video with Téllez here and explore highlights from the 300 exhibited works here.

The works in ‘Doors of Perception’ are so strong and powerful that they defy all stereotypes by themselves; they only need to be allowed to manifest their presence. The idea is to make the art world focus on inclusion. -Javier Téllez

Frieze Artist Award
Frieze New York collaborated with Courtney J. Martin (Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Dia Art Foundation) to oversee the 2019 Frieze Artist Award, supported by the Luma Foundation, which enabled the creation of a new commission presented at the fair by winner Lauren Halsey. 

One example of what could only happen at Frieze is the site-specific commission from Frieze Artist Award winner Lauren Halsey -The Hollywood Reporter

See you next year!

Frieze New York will return in May 2020. Details will be annouced in the new year. To stay up to date with the fair's latest news, sign up to our newsletter and follow @friezeartfair on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.