Frieze London is humming under a typically leaden London sky. The fair’s VIP preview kicked off at 11 a.m. and quickly drew a strong crowd—including German supermodel Claudia Schiffer—milling around the fair’s massive tent in Regent’s Park, kissing cheeks, flaunting questionable fashion choices, and, most importantly, spending money. By 2 p.m. local time, several major galleries reported strong morning sales to ARTnews.
Last year, the fair revamped its floor plan, placing mega-galleries at the back of two long aisles in the hopes of encouraging collectors to stop by small and midsize galleries along the way. That layout returned this year, much to the satisfaction of many, including New York–based dealer Alexander Gray of Alexander Gray Associates.
“The layout is fantastic, I’m pleased Frieze kept it rolling over from last year,” he told ARTnews. “It’s great for the smaller galleries.” Gray said he had already sold a 1983 work by Joan Semmel (Self-Portrait on the Couch) to a private collector.
At the mega end of the tent, Thaddaeus Ropac sold Polls (1987) by Robert Rauschenberg for $850,000 and Ivy (2016), a velvety smooth wooden sculpture by Tony Cragg, for $420,000.
“One of our first Frieze sales is a work by Rauschenberg, which we wanted to show here as one of the moments to mark the artist’s centennial this year and before our Rauschenberg exhibition in our Paris gallery next week,” Ropac told ARTnews. “It’s great to have sold it to a collector based here in London.”
A stone’s throw away, Gagosian’s eye-catching booth evokes a Grecian fresco. Los Angeles artist Lauren Halsey’s polymer-modified gypsum (which resembles plaster of Paris) series—Untitled (2025)—is sold out, as is the rest of the booth, the gallery told ARTnews. Her LODA PLAZA (2025) sculpture was snapped up before noon. The mood is, quite rightly, upbeat.
Over at Hauser & Wirth, works have also been flying off the shelves. The gallery said it sold DESIRELINE II (2025) by George Rouy, the punkish rising star of London’s contemporary art scene, for $275,000. Ellen Gallagher’s Lips & Paper (1993) sold for $950,000; Avery Singer’s Lost Boccioni (2025) for $800,000; and Untitled (Portrait of Reign Judge) (2025) for $300,000. On top of these, George Condo’s Head Composition (2025) sold for $200,000; Takesada Matsutani’s Propagation 25-B (2025) for $250,000; and Cindy Sherman’s Untitled #650 (2023) for $200,000.
In the opposite booth, White Cube said it has sold six works since the fair’s opening, including two paintings by Sara Flores and two bronzes by Marguerite Humeau: Venus of Courbet, A 80-year-old female human has ingested the brain of a swallow (2018) and Superior Oneness, A 70-year-old female human has ingested an alligator’s brain (2018).
Timothy Taylor gallery—which has spaces in London and New York and is positioned one section ahead of the megas in the tent—told ARTnews that it has sold three large-scale paintings by London-based artist Daniel Crews-Chubb, ranging from £70,000 to £90,000.
“There’s a real sense of energy in just the first two hours of Frieze London—people are coming with intent, and they are buying,” Taylor said. “The mood is focused but optimistic, and it’s clear that London is living up to the hype. The market has found its rhythm again, at least for this week.”
Peter Blum Gallery reported that it has sold all six works by New York–based artist Rebecca Ward for a combined total of around $125,000. “There’s a strong appetite for works that bridge formal rigor with spiritual practices,” Peter Blum told ARTnews.
While Perrotin declined to share specifics it said that sales “are off to a good start for now” for both its presentation at Frieze, and its current solo exhibition by Laurent Grasso at the gallery’s Mayfair location.
More to follow soon, including a report on how smaller and midsize galleries are faring. Stay tuned.
