Walking around Frieze LA yesterday on the opening day, I heard nothing but praise for the galleries and organisers that made Frieze Week happen despite the destructive fires less than a month ago.
Early reports recorded buoyant sales and comradery from the foreign collectors who trekked to Frieze LA to seek out the crème de la crème of Painting, Sculpture, Installation, and Video art. This was not the most cutting-edge display, but it was a good cross-section of work by established and emerging artists.
Just weeks after devastating wildfires tore through parts of Southern California, Frieze Los Angeles opened its doors—proving that the city’s art scene is as resilient as ever. The highly anticipated fair, which some feared would be cancelled due to the Eaton and Palisades fires, forged ahead, offering a much-needed boost to artists, galleries, and collectors alike.
Sales Reported From Frieze LA 2025
David Zwirner recorded a total of $9.5 million in sales, headlined by an Elizabeth Peyton painting fetching $2.8 million and a Noah Davis work going for $2.5 million. Other notable sales at Zwirner included an Alice Neel painting at $1.8 million and a Lisa Yuskavage piece at $1.6 million.
Gladstone Gallery followed with over $3 million in sales, highlighted by a Keith Haring painting on glass that sold for $2 million. The gallery also placed Robert Mapplethorpe photographs at $200,000–$300,000 apiece and sold a Ugo Rondinone painting for $240,000.
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery placed a Ruth Asawa sculpture for approximately $1 million, while Blum reported $1.1 million in sales, with a standout Yoshitomo Nara ceramic sculpture selling for $750,000.
Four galleries—David Kordansky, James Cohan, Carlye Packer, and Altman Siegel—reported sold-out booths within the fair’s opening hours. Kordansky’s stand, featuring works by Maia Cruz Palileo priced between $8,000 and $80,000, saw overwhelming demand.
Other notable sales included:
Pace Gallery selling Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture for $500,000 alongside works by Tara Donovan and Kylie Manning.
Hauser & Wirth and Company selling four paintings by Ambera Wellmann for a combined $770,000.
Almine Rech nearly selling out its Tomokazu Matsuyama solo booth, with works priced between $100,000 and $600,000, including four institutional acquisitions.
James Cohan placed all works by Eamon Ore-Giron, ranging from $30,000 to $125,000, with one acquired by a West Coast institution.
Timothy Taylor secured sales of an Annie Morris sculpture for $196,000 and a Hayal Pozanti painting for $75,000.
In the Focus sector, which spotlights younger galleries, strong performances included Carlye Packer selling out its Brandon Landers presentation (works priced at $16,000–$54,000), and Sow & Tailor placing three sculptures and three paintings by Shaniqwa Jarvis, one of which was jointly acquired by the Hammer Museum, LACMA, and MOCA.
Frieze LA 2025 reaffirmed the city’s resilience and the art market’s vitality, underscoring Los Angeles’ continued significance in the international art scene.
Spotted
Gwyneth Paltrow Actor, Al Pacino Actor, Takashi Murakami, Artist, Hans Ulrich Olbrich, Curator, Ralph Rugoff Director Hayward Gallery London, Christian Bale Actor, James Franco Actor, Oliver Stone Film Director, and Russell Tovey Actor.
PCR Artlyst 2025