Guided by its founders’ “pioneering spirit,” Frieze London is celebrating its 20th birthday and its evolution from a magazine into a global event.
When Frieze London had its inaugural edition in 2003, the art fair landscape looked a lot different than it does today, as did the larger art world.
Fairs had not become franchises yet. The Miami Beach edition of the Swiss event Art Basel had taken place only once at that point, and the idea of geographic expansion for a fair was still experimental.
Smartphones and Instagram were not yet in everybody’s hands as a way to share art, and it was not yet de rigueur for the biggest galleries to have permanent spaces on multiple continents, either.
This week, Frieze celebrates its 20th anniversary with 167 galleries gathering in Regent’s Park from Thursday through Oct. 15. Frieze Masters, its sibling fair focusing on older art, will be by its side, as it has been since its first edition in 2012, with 136 galleries.
