Press Release

Strong Sales Reported by Frieze Art Fair 2007

Gallerists reported that sales had been stronger than ever and the number of visits to the fair increased to 68,000 in 2007 from 63,000 in 2006.
Frieze Art Fair co-directors Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover commented: “Gallerists, collectors and visitors have all told us that the improvements we have made to the fair this year have made a real difference, enhanced the fair experience for all and importantly resulted in strong sales for the exhibitors.”
151 of the world’s leading galleries from 28 countries exhibited at the fair which has established a reputation as the best place to see new developments in international contemporary art.
Special gallery presentations included a solo show by Pawel Althamer at Foksal Gallery Foundation which has been acquired for Tate Collection, Rob Pruitt’s Fleamarket at Gavin Brown’s enterprise and an exhibition curated by Aurélie Voltz at The Fair Gallery - a new collaborative venture presented at an art fair for the first time. 
Iwan Wirth of Hauser & Wirth commented: “The fair was extremely positive for us and with so many excellent shows on in London I believe this has really helped make it a great year.”
“It’s been absolutely amazing - one of our strongest years. The intelligence of this fair makes it a joy to participate in. The audience is very aware and primed. We brought works by Rebecca Warren and Wolfgang Tillmans that were well received. The fair is also a great place in to introduce new artists. Overall, we’ve had a great response,” said Maureen Paley.

Ricardo Trevisan from Casa Triângulo, Sao Paolo, who are newcomers to the fair, added: “This is the first time we’ve been here and we sold work by Mauro Restiffe to Tate. We also sold to American foundations and collectors we have never met from England, America and Brazil. We do other fairs like Arco Madrid and Miami Basel but Frieze is special; the location and setting, in the middle of a park, is perfect. The galleries are well selected and so are the works.” 
“The way people bought was different, more reflective and calmer. It used to be that people raced in grabbing the young, cool, hip and cheap works. Now purchases are more considered.” Thorsten Albertz, Director, Arndt & Partner
“We didn’t have as much inventory as usual, but we sold a lot of work just based on reproductions in our catalogues, which is a sign of success. As usual, almost all of our business was conducted in the first day. Yesterday, however, we sold two pieces by Lisa Yuskavage to a museum. In total, we’ve sold eighty works. We were happy with the attention given to the work by Michael S. Riedel - there have been lots of curators asking for it. That’s exactly what we wanted for this work – it’s subversive, so it’s perfect for an art fair. We’ve had a lot of new interest. For instance, we sold two works by Chris Ofili to a totally new buyer. I get great energy from that. There’s such a wide audience for art in London, even the taxi drivers know all about it. It’s a phenomenon.” Hanna Schouwink, Director, David Zwirner
“I’ve been here since the beginning and this has been our best year financially. A high proportion of the crowd were serious collectors. What’s interesting is that although there are lots of Americans they do not represent the majority of sales, as they do elsewhere. The organizers have done a great job of cultivating a balanced and international crowd. I do six fairs in a year but, in terms of sales and interest, this is the highest calibre - They’ve kept the quality by keeping the size manageable. If you open it up too much then people lose interest. The organisers should be commended. Each year they develop it. The exhibitors are very well looked after – they make sure collectors come and it makes us want to come back.” Alison Jacques, Owner, Alison Jacques Gallery
“This year’s fair has gone really well for us, sales are as strong as last year, and we’ve continued to sell throughout the four days mostly to Americans and Europeans.  And we’re looking forward to coming back next year, with a bigger booth hopefully!”
Luisa Strina, Galeria Luisa Strina, Sao Paulo
Collector, Beth DeWoody said: “It’s a really nice fair. It’s more relaxing and I could really look at art and get to know the dealers.”
Museum groups from America, Russia, Germany, France, Belgium and Latin America all visited Frieze Art Fair. 
Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate, commented: “Frieze has played a key role in helping to make London one of the leading centres of the artworld.”
In a year which has seen unprecedented levels of parliamentary interest in the fair, with visits from the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and ministers from both the UK’s main political parties, James Purnell, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport told the Art Newspaper: “Frieze Art Fair raises public awareness of contemporary art, provides opportunities for artists, stimulates the UK’s contemporary art market and makes a significant contribution to London’s economy . . . Frieze has reinforced London’s position as a world class destination for contemporary visual art.”
Frieze Projects, the unique curatorial programme presented at the fair, received widespread critical acclaim with Richard Prince’s first major UK commission and the entire fair falling silent for a minute in an intervention by Kris Martin. Frieze Talks included keynote lectures from Dave Hickey and Allen Smithee - a presentation by Cartier Award winner Mario Garcia Torres - Thierry de Duve and Roni Horn. All Frieze Talks are downloadable from http://www.frieze.com. Frieze Projects is curated by Neville Wakefield and presented in association with Cartier. 
Joanna Pitman commented in The Times, 6 October 2007: “Matthew Slotover and Amanda Sharp have put together a hugely ambitious series of events, performances and talks designed to move Frieze beyond an art fair and turn it into a larger event where art is made and the cultural agenda is set.”
Frieze Film presented four new film commissions from Oliver Payne and Nick Relph, David Shrigley, Wilhelm Sasnal and Kara Walker. The films were premiered in the on-site auditorium and broadcast on Channel 4 in a significant new collaboration with the television channel. Frieze Film is sponsored by BMW, supported by Channel 4 and Arts & Business. 
Frieze Education saw over 250 children taking part in the artist-led programme of workshops and discussions organised with Camden Arts Centre and held in the Deutsche Bank Education Space.
Frieze Music brought legendary musician Glenn Branca’s epic symphony for 100 guitars to an audience of 1500 at London’s Roundhouse. 
Frieze Art Fair is pleased to have the continued sponsorship of main sponsor Deutsche Bank, associate sponsor Cartier and media sponsor The Guardian. 
Pierre de Weck, Global Head of Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management and Member of the Group Executive Committee of Deutsche Bank commented: “Deutsche Bank was delighted to celebrate its fourth successive year as main sponsor of Frieze Art Fair. This year’s fair was enjoyed by a record number of Deutsche Bank staff and enabled the Bank to share its art concept with a wider audience through a successful series of workshops in the Deutsche Bank education space. The Bank added 20 small pieces to its art collection and enjoyed a fair that supported the next generation of emerging artists in a way not seen before.”
“My sincere congratulations go out to the team at Frieze Art Fair, and to Amanda and Matthew for managing yet again to stage Britain’s most exciting art fair. Cartier are thrilled to be involved as the associate sponsor of Frieze. Neville Wakefield brought a new dimension to Frieze Projects this year and we are looking forward to following the career of Mario Garcia Torres, the recipient of the Cartier Award 2007.” 
Arnaud Bamberger, Managing Director, Cartier UK
Frieze Art Fair 2008 will be held in Regent’s Park, London, from 16 to 19 October 2008. 
Visit http://www.frieze.com to download Frieze Talks 2007. 
Visit http://www.suttonpr.com for images of the fair, Frieze Projects and a portrait of co-directors Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover. 
Visit http://www.guardian.co.uk for vodcasts and podcasts from Frieze Art Fair 2007.