The second edition of Frieze Seoul kicked off Wednesday at the COEX convention center in the Korean capital city’s Gangnam district. This edition of the fair saw more than 120 participants from the world’s leading galleries.
While it appears most galleries failed to reach single sales grossing in the millions like they did in last year’s edition, so far multiple smaller sales have lead to overall solid successes for many artists and exhibitors alike.
[See ten standout booths at Frieze Seoul.]
It is still early, however, and it is worth noting that gallery reported sales at art fairs are difficult to independently verify. Purchases can be made in advance and announced later into the week when the fair is in full swing. Frieze runs through Saturday, which could mean that more big transactions are still yet to come.
Below, a look at works sold by ten top-tier galleries during Frieze’s VIP preview.
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Woody De Othello at Jessica Silverman
Image Credit: Courtesy the artist, Jessica Silverman, San Francisco, Karma, New
York, and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London. Photo Mark BlowerSan Francisco–based gallery Jessica Silverman sold a number of works from their solo presentation of American artist Woody De Othello, whose works monumentalize the natural world and the passage of time. Initially, the gallery sold two large glazed ceramic sculptures, titled Green Lady (2023) and mineral wisdom (2023), for $92,000 each, along with a glazed ceramic sculpture reminded of their power (2023) for $75,000, a free-standing sculpture it is in our bones not the brain (2023) for $85,000, and a sizable oil painting trees protect and shield (2023) for $65,000.
By the second day, two additional oil paintings Sun Showered (2023) and nourishing home (2023) sold for $30,000 each and a glazed ceramic wall sculpture Ever So Present (2023) sold for $25,000. Over the last few years, sales prices of Othello’s pieces have increased as this emerging artist continues to rise among his peers.
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Lehmann Maupin
Image Credit: © Do Ho Suh. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London. Photo Jeon Taeg Su During the preview day sales, Lehmann Maupin sold more than 15 works between $20,000-$190,000. This included high demand for a number of Korean artists such as a piece by Lee Bul that sold for $190,000, two new paintings by Tammy Nguyen that sold for a combined total of $150,000, as well as three works by Do Ho Suh and two works by Sung Neung Kyung.
Additional sales included four paintings by Billy Childish, a new painting by Loriel Beltrán for $45,000, and three paintings by Chantal Joffe that sold for a combined total of $100,000.
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Hauser & Wirth
More than 13 pieces were sold to institutional and private collections across East Asia by mega gallery Hauser & Wirth. Highlights include a work by Rashid Johnson that sold for $975,000, a work by George Condo that grossed $800,000, and a work by Paul McCarthy that fetched $575,000.
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Katherine Bernhardt at David Zwirner
Image Credit: © Katherine Bernhardt. Courtesy the artist, David Zwirner, and Canada. Photo Maris Hutchinson Mega gallery David Zwirner sold pieces by a number of notable women artists such as a new painting by Katherine Bernhardt for $250,000, a recent Rose Wylie painting for $250,000, and a work by Mamma Andersson for $550,000. The gallery also sold multiple works by Katherine Bernhardt and Yayoi Kusama, as well as paintings by Josef Albers and Joan Mitchell.
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Thaddaeus Ropac
Thaddaeus Ropac reported strong sales to Korean institutional and international collectors, including several works by Daniel Richter for $402,290, a work by Tony Cragg fetching $321,830, a work by Tom Sachs for $175,000, and a work by Lee Bul for $190,000.
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Mary Weatherford at David Kordansky
Image Credit: Courtesy David Kordansky Gallery. Photo Fredrik Nilsen Studio A solo presentation of new paintings by Mary Weatherford, known for her combination abstract paintings with neon lights, by David Kordansky is nearly sold out following the first day at Frieze Seoul. Her paintings are slated to go to prominent institutional and private collections in Korea and Asia.
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White Cube
Two neon works by Tracey Emin sold for a combined total of $81,300, a piece by Antony Gormley fetched $469,040, and a work by Park Seo-Bo brought in $490,000 for White Cube.
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Pace Gallery
Image Credit: © 2023 Calder Foundation, New
York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New YorkOn the preview day, mega gallery Pace sold a rare Alexander Calder sculpture and a work on paper, as well as two recent paintings by Yoshitomo Nara and Kenjiro Okazaki respectively. Lee Kun-Yong’s painting Bodyscape 76-1-2023 (2023) grossed $250,000, while a 2014 painting by Qiu Xiaofei brought in $160,000. A new Joel Shapiro sculpture fetched $175,000 and a recent painting by Robert Nava sold for $150,000. Additionally, a large painting by Kylie Manning fetched $80,000 and Kiki Smith’s recent cyanotype print brought in $20,000. These sales come on the heels of a recent announcement that the gallery is slated to expand its territory in the Asian market with a new location in Tokyo next year.
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Lisson Gallery
Opening day sales for Lisson Gallery included a painting by Stanley Whitney that sold for $550,000, a painting by Christopher Le Brun for $112,570, and works by Julian Opie and Ryan Gander that sold for $93,810 each.
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Sahara Longe at Timothy Taylor
Image Credit: © Sahara Longe. Courtesy Timothy Taylor Timothy Taylor reported strong early sales from the solo presentation of paintings by emerging British artist Sahara Longe, who makes large-scale flat-edge portraits that underscore the psychology of the subject. A total of 13 canvases were sold between $20,000–$30,000 each to private and public collections in Asia, the United States, and Europe.
