Acquavella Galleries New York. All photos by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed.
Running alongside the hustle and bustle of Frieze’s Contemporary Art proceedings next door, the Frieze Masters section is showing an exceedingly strong set of galleries and works, albeit somewhat removed from the spotlight its adjacent fair receives each year.  Mixing classic works by artists like Francis Bacon and Picasso with works by still active artists like Robert Long and Richard Serra, the fair offered a more subdued, but equally impressive offering.  Â
Francis Bacon, Study for a Figure (1950)
A number of galleries, exhibiting at both fairs, chose the more classically oriented environment of the Masters fair to bring forth a balanced collection of works complementing their newest works at Frieze London.  David Zwirner was on hand, showing a selection of works by Dan Flavin, Martin Kippenberger and John Chamberlain, keeping a slightly more contemporary focus on its fair booth.  Gagosian Gallery also brought out an impressive lineup, including works by the late Walter de Maria alongside a Richard Serra canvas. Lisson Gallery, on the other hand, kept up its minimal approach to this year’s edition of the fair, complementing its Dan Graham installation next door with a recreation of Richard Long’s 1994 work Muddy Water Circle.  The approach appears to have paid off, with the work selling in the early hours of the fair this week to a Middle Eastern collector.
Work by Paul Delvaux, La Visite (1939) Malingue
Also of note is a classic work by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, a copy of a work by the artist’s father that has sat in a collection in Eastern Africa for the last 60 years before being rediscovered only recently.  This work also sold early, commanding a £10 million price tag that justified the publicity surrounding the work in the weeks leading up to the fair.
Works by Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Lucio Fontana Van De Weghe Fine Art
With a few days left in the fair, dealers continued to work with their clients, trying to wrap up any lingering sales leads before the conclusion of the fair this weekend. Â The fairs both close on Sunday, October 20th.
David Zwirner
Martin Kippenberger, Fred the Frog Rings the Bell (1990) David Zwirner
David Zwirner booth
Lisson Gallery
Edward Tyler Nahem Gallery
The Museum of Everything
Works by Richard Serra, 8th (1977) (background) and Walter de Maria, Large Rod Series: Circle/Rectangle 11 (1986) (foreground) Gagosian Gallery
Alberto Giacometti, Buste de Femme (1947) at Gagosian Gallery
Konrad Fischer Galerie
Works by Kiki Kogelnik at Johann König
Works by Judy Chicago at Riflemaker
Chris Dercon, Tate Modern director
Joseph Kosuth at Sean Kelly
Works by Josef Albers, Homage to the Square (1970) and Tom Wesselmann, Country Bouquet with Gladiolas (1989/1997) Galerie Thomas
David Hockney, The Conversation (1980) at Richard Gray Gallery
Works by Jean Michel Basquiat and Alexander Calder at Galerie Vedovi
A work by Christopher Wool, Untitled (1988) at Galerie Vedovi
Coll & Cortés Fine Arts
Galerie Thomas Schulte
Works by Allen Jones at Luxembourg and Dayan
Cheim & Read booth
—D. Creahan
Read more:
“Bag a Brueghel: Frieze Masters 2013” [The Guardian]
Old Informs New at Dual Frieze Fairs in London [NY Times]
“Frieze Masters brings older art in from the cold” [Art Newspaper]
“Richard Long’s restaged clay work sells to Middle Eastern collector” [Art Newspaper]
Pricey Frieze: Long-lost Brueghel sells for $10m [Morning Herald]
