On the face of things, Frieze is pretty awful. It represents the art world at its most brazenly commercial, its most avaricious and capitalistic. This is the market laid bare, with all of its champagne, ludicrous outfits and obscene excess on brazen display for anyone willing to fork out a wodge on a ticket. That’s what reviews of Frieze generally complain about, all the greedy capitalistic knives being stabbed into the heart of their beloved, pure art.
But Frieze, and the more refined Frieze Masters, isn’t really about art. Sure, this art fair in Regent’s Park, London, is the biggest art fair in the UK, attracting all the best galleries and artists in the world. But Frieze isn’t about painting and sculpture and conceptualism – it’s about selling. Going to Frieze is all about mindset. If you come here looking for innovation, emotion and aesthetic brilliance, you’re going to be let down. But if you come here to experience the art world – to watch deals get done, to see the market in full flight – it’s genuinely a huge amount of fun.
