Frieze Masters must be the only tent in the world with an ancient mosaic floor (Ariadne, B8)
If you’ve just opened a museum and need to stock it with big ticket artworks then Frieze Masters is the place to head. The atmosphere is more muted than across Regent’s Park in the main Frieze tent, the walls greyer and the art more in-a-frame and on-a-wall. There are also antiquities as well as Old Master paintings, even if the first thing you’ll see could easily be a large red Barbara Kruger.
The year 2000 is the cut off for Frieze Masters which allows some artists, such as Gilbert and George, to be shown in both Frieze tents. But here the content is mainly older with a selection of Hogarth prints at Edmonds (F16) and a Millet, Degas, Pissarro and more at Stephen Ongpin (G11).
A notable solo presentation is Francis Bacon by Marlborough Fine Art (C8). If you are keen on a Giacometti you can choose your medium, there being sculpture, painting and drawing available – the sculpture wobbling slightly when visitors walk past.
W&K (G12) have a selection of Klimt and Schiele drawings which are one of the show’s highlights, as are the Kossof Drawing Paintings from Old Masters which Mitchell-Innes and Nash are showing at D4.
Add in Dubuffett, Picasso and even a Rembrandt, a Warhol Scream and a Winston Churchill (Richard Green, E2) there is plenty of choice for collectors who want to make a big name purchase.
As well as the large gallery shows, Spotlight is a section of the fair that is dedicated to solo presentations of artists working throughout the 20th century. It offers the chance to discover artists working throughout the world and is advised by curator Adriano Pedrosa.
15-19 October
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