Frieze LA Comes Into Its Own
There was a chance of rain in the forecast during the opening weekend of Frieze LA 2026, but compared to last year, that would have been a minor inconvenience. In 2025, Los Angeles was still reeling from devastating wildfires that destroyed homes and cast a grim cloud over the city – Frieze included. The show went on, however, and Frieze LA was among countless institutions that raised money for disaster relief in the aftermath.
Fortunately, the weather for the 2026 edition turned out to be typically beautiful, and LA’s premier art fair went off without a hitch.
Held at the Santa Monica Airport, the seventh edition of Frieze built on its reputation as more than just an outpost of the annual London fair (NYC and Seoul have their own editions as well), and instead asserted itself as a distinct entity unto itself. Over the event’s four days, more than 100 galleries from 24 countries displayed work to some 32,000 visitors from more than 45 nations. Being LA, these attendees included celebrities such as Chris Rock, Rami Malek, Emma Watson, Heated Rivalry’s François Arnaud, André 3000 and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The art was typically high-grade and carried a distinctive LA vibe. Among the most noticeable pieces was Untitled Orbit (MANUAL MODE), an installation by Amanda Ross-Ho, who rolled a giant inflatable Earth across a grassy soccer field during the fair’s opening hours – reflecting a broader theme of protest and social commentary.
Sharif Farrag created another quintessentially LA work with Inner Teddy (2026), a collection of ceramics blending traditional techniques with influences from his Syrian-Egyptian-American identity. These included sculptural automobiles, such as a white Range Rover he described as evocative of “the Westside Beverly Hills kind of vibe,” and a “burger buggy” that paid homage to his studio’s Downtown LA neighbourhood.
Fernberger Gallery, a two-year-old Hollywood space exhibiting at Frieze for the first time, dedicated its entire booth to the work of LA-based artist Greta Waller, who has spent the last decade working as a paramedic. Waller’s paintings included one of a melting block of ice as well as large-scale depictions of Los Angeles, complete with the city’s signature palm trees and smoggy golden light.
There was plenty of demand for works of all kinds, with several blue-chip sales on the first day. While most sales remained firmly in the five- and six-figure range, a mixed-media work by Njideka Akunyili Crosby sold for $2.8 million, and a painting by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye fetched $1.5 million. Additionally, a trio of large-scale Antony Gormley sculptures sold for between £500,000 and £800,000, and James Turrell’s 2021 installation, Carat and Schtik, sold for $950,000.
As ever, the nightlife was as much a part of the fair as the art, with sponsored events throughout the city, including Silencio Los Angeles – a temporary outpost of David Lynch’s famed Parisian nightclub. As a pop-up based on a club inspired by a movie, it was, like Frieze itself, an only-in-LA experience at its best.
Featured image: Larry Sultan’s Woman in Curlers via the Casemore Gallery, Frieze Los Angeles 2026. (Image by Casey Kelbaugh/CKA. Courtesy of Frieze.)
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