In a bid to boost the local economy and support Art fundraising, Galleries together offer solidarity after The Los Angeles Wildfires.
Frieze Los Angeles 2025 stands out as the highlight of the art week, with the contemporary art fair showcasing the work of artists from around the world at the Santa Monica Airport. This year’s event features over 95 galleries from more than 20 countries, a more concise selection compared to the over 120 galleries present in 2023. According to Christine Messineo, director of Americas at Frieze, around 40% of the participating galleries are based in Los Angeles.
Image Courtesy- The Guardian
“Every year, Frieze New York gathers art galleries, artists, and collectors from every corner of the globe,” said Christine Messineo, Frieze’s Americas director. “Vibrant voices that influence today’s art scene connect with the finest talents within New York City’s rich cultural environment. The outcome is an experience that enhances one’s appreciation and comprehension of contemporary art.”
Image Courtesy- The Art Newspaper
Art Markets Initiatives for LA Fire-Relief
Following the recent Los Angeles fires, the local art community has decided to allocate a portion of the proceeds to the Los Angeles County Relief Fund. Additionally, Art Made Between Opposite Sides, which offers a ceramics program for refugees and asylum seekers, plans to contribute some of its proceeds to domestic workers impacted by the fires.
Image Courtesy- The Art Newspaper
In light of the recent devastation, Frieze made quick adjustments to assist Los Angeles’s fire-affected art community, launching several fire-relief initiatives, including one named Galleries Together for the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund. Frieze has endorsed the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund since it was established, donating 10 percent of all new ticket sales to the fund since January. At Frieze Los Angeles, the Victoria Miro gallery is opening its space to Galleries Together, an initiative that encourages participating galleries to donate artwork for sale. Demonstrating solidarity, the London-based gallery has offered its booth to galleries featuring primarily Angeleno artists—such as Devin Troy Strother (represented by the Glendale gallery the Pit), Max Hooper Schneider (brought by Maureen Paley, London), and Erin Falls and Sam Falls (represented by New York’s 303 Gallery). A considerable portion of the booth’s proceeds will go to the fund to assist artists in immediate distress following the Eaton and Palisades wildfires.
The fund, spearheaded by the Getty Museum and a coalition of arts organizations, seeks to “provide emergency assistance for artists and arts workers who have suffered due to the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles.”
Frieze 2025 Opens The Art Week with Big Collections
As the event progresses, the Art collectors and buyers have collected initial sales including an Elizabeth Peyton painting priced at $2.8 million at David Zwirner and a Keith Haring piece for $2 million at Gladstone Gallery.
The lively atmosphere at the fair stood in stark contrast to the uncertainty that surrounded Frieze just a few weeks earlier, as wildfires ravaged neighborhoods in Malibu, Altadena, and the Pacific Palisades, to the northwest of Santa Monica. Thousands of Angelenos, many of whom were artists, lost their homes in the fires, leading to serious concerns about whether the fair could take place as planned. However, by mid-January, Frieze organizers announced that they would proceed with the event in “a manner that genuinely supports the local economy and the arts community.”
In that spirit, Frieze has integrated various art market initiative for fundraising and relief initiatives for wildfire victims into its programming. Messineo emphasized the Frieze Arts Alliance, a new initiative involving approximately 20 museums across the country, including the Guggenheim in New York and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami, among others. The alliance’s members intend to utilize their acquisition funds to buy artworks at the fair, thereby supporting both artists and recovery effort.
Feature Image Courtesy- Frieze.com
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