Art at The Shed
Frieze New York concluded its thirteenth edition on 11 May 2025 at The Shed in Hudson Yards, marking the fifth consecutive year the fair has occupied the venue. Over five days, the fair welcomed 25,000 visitors from 60 countries, with more than 65 galleries from over 25 nations represented across its two principal sections. The scale of international participation and the consistent institutional presence throughout the week underscored the fair's established position on the global calendar.
Christine Messineo, Frieze's Director of Americas, noted that the edition had built on the momentum of an earlier showing in Los Angeles earlier in the year, and that the programming felt responsive to what galleries, collectors, and institutions were seeking from the fair in the current climate.
Sales, Institutions, and Collector Engagement
Sales were reported across all market tiers from the opening VIP preview through to the final public day. Hauser & Wirth moved over 25 works by early afternoon on the Wednesday preview, including pieces ranging from $20,000 to $1.2 million, with works by Lorna Simpson and Amy Sherald among those placed. Marc Payot of Hauser & Wirth described the atmosphere as unusually optimistic, citing a deepened commitment from collectors, curators, and institutions to supporting contemporary art at this particular moment.
White Cube reported consistent sales momentum from preview day onward, with acquisitions across a broad spread of artists including Tracey Emin — whose painting sold for £1.2 million — alongside Etel Adnan, Antony Gormley, Christine Ay Tjoe, Howardena Pindell, and Ilana Savdie. Gagosian sold Jeff Koons's monumental Hulk (Tubas) within the opening hours of the fair, in a presentation of three major works from Koons's own collection. Pace Gallery presented Adam Pendleton in dialogue with Lynda Benglis, a pairing that drew strong collector interest and generated multiple sales.
Institutional engagement was pronounced throughout the week. Major US museums and university collections made acquisitions, and dedicated curator and patron groups attended from across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. For Korean galleries in particular, the week provided notable opportunities for artists to enter significant museum and gallery exhibitions, as observed by Kukje Gallery's founder and chairwoman Hyun-Sook Lee.
Focus Section and Emerging Gallery Atelier
Curated for the second year by Lumi Tan, the Focus section operated as the fair's platform for galleries founded within the past twelve years, with presentations taking the form of dedicated solo exhibitions. Seven of the twelve participating galleries were first-time participants at the fair, including Champ Lacombe (London and Biarritz), G Gallery (Seoul), King's Leap (New York), Management (New York), Public (Singapore), Voloshyn Gallery (Kyiv), and Yeo Workshop (Singapore). The section also drew established Focus returnees from Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, and Lisbon.
The thematic range across the solo presentations addressed the consequences of extractive commercial and military industries, feminist reframings of storytelling traditions, and the translation of digital experience into physical form.
The 2025 Focus Stand Prize was awarded to Mitre Galeria from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, for its solo presentation of Luana Vitra, whose ceramics, sculptures, and works on paper draw on the landscape and history of the Minas Gerais region. Júlia Maria of Mitre Galeria noted that the recognition marked their third year in the section, and expressed the gallery's intention to bring its programme to the main Galleries section in 2026. G Gallery (Seoul) placed a major installation by Yehwan Song with a private institution, while Voloshyn Gallery (Kyiv) sold multiple works on paper and a sculpture by Nikita Kadan, with prices in Focus ranging from $2,000 to $100,000.
Charitable Initiatives and Civic Engagement
The Artist Plate Project returned for the third time, raising over $500,000 in support of the Coalition for the Homeless through the sale of limited-edition ceramic plates designed by leading artists. Artists contributing to the 2025 edition included Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jasper Johns, Rashid Johnson, Amy Sherald, Faith Ringgold, Cindy Sherman, Christina Quarles, and Derrick Adams, among more than 50 participants. Each edition was produced in 250 copies by Atelier Eightyeight. The proceeds directly fund essential services for unhoused New Yorkers, including meals and housing assistance.
The fair also worked with Printed Matter — the New York-based non-profit dedicated to artists' publications — as part of its broader non-profit programming across the week.