The Telegraph
October 17, 2011
Frieze Art Fair 2011: An Upbeat Year
By Colin Gleadell
Reactions were mixed among the exhibitors at the Frieze Art Fair where some galleries fared well and others didn’t. But generally the mood was upbeat.
London’s Alison Jacques sold a variety of works by Ryan Mosley, Ana Mendieta, Catherine Yass, Ryan McGinley, and Klara Kristalova in the £10,000 to £20,000 range. Anthony Wilkinson also sold works by most of his artists, notably taking £55,000 for a large painting by Turner Prize contender George Shaw, and £95,000 for an as yet incomplete triptych based on Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights by the rarely exhibited Mark Alexander. Making his first appearance on the London market was Indonesian artist Nyoman Masriadi, a big favourite in Singapore.
Excluded from the recent Indonesian art show at the Saatchi Gallery, Masriadi has been making waves in New York with the Paul Kasmin Gallery and, at Frieze, the gallery sold a large canvas for $250,000. Among the swankier galleries, Lisson, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner and Lehman Maupin all reported strong sales, with a large painting by German artist Neo Rauch being possibly the biggest sale of the week at $1.35 million.
Coming close was Hauser & Wirth’s Thomas Houseago whose huge Hermaphrodite sculpture stood outside in Regent’s Park. Priced at $425,000, it was available in an edition of three, and all were sold to private European collectors. The main grumbles were about the price of admission – now a whopping £27 – and snacks. Two stale croissants washed down with coffee set a friend back £17!