Frieze Contemporary, Frieze Masters and FIAC
Editions from 2016 to 2019.
Frieze Contemporary, Frieze Masters and FIAC share much more than a nearby geographical situation or dates that mark the beginning of autumn/the season. The importance of these events from London and Paris, organized two of them by the same promoter – Frieze Contemporary and Masters – makes them an essential event not only for European galleries, but for many international galleries that participate in several of them, and even at three.
In the present study we have traced trends of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 through the analysis of the participation in each fair with respect to the other events during the same year, the behavior of each gallery, in each fair, in the following edition, and we make a picture of a precise table of the percentage of annual changes. Finally, the percentage of continuous assistance of each fair and the percentage of new exhibitors or has not participated in the previous edition.
Each year, the Frieze Contemporary, Masters and FIAC fairs gather around 400 galleries around the world. In an analysis of 4 editions of participations of each fair, there is a constant percentage of galleries that decide to participate in the same year in another fair.
Frieze Contemporary
This first chart on the evolution of Frieze from 2016 to 2019, clarifies a tendency to decrease simultaneous participation. Participation in Contemporary and Masters is maintained with some constancy – Participation in three fairs plus participation in Masters – but the Frieze – FIAC connection is clearly less frequent from 2016 to the present.
Frieze Masters
The shares between Frieze Masters and Contemporary are reflected identical in this graphic. The lower number of Masters exhibitors – an average of around 130 each year – draws lower statistics, however, it has the same ratios as Frieze Contemporary or FIAC with 160 or 200 average respectively.
FIAC
FIAC is the fair with more annual exhibitors* to bring together contemporary and modern work in the same pavilion, in addition to being held in another country and later date, is the event chosen by the participants of Masters and Contemporary, although the latter has a tendency to be reduced.
*Collection Lambert et Fond Ivry are not included as exhibitors
The next edition
The behavior of the galleries in the following edition (analyzed 2016 to 2017, 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019) is an indication of the follow-up or regularity to the fair, and perhaps a measure of its previous success. These graphics analyze the individual behavior of each gallery in percentages, regarding the next edition.
When analyzing all possible participation scenarios among 3 fairs, the scenarios multiply but trace observable trends in three fairs precedents (from 4 art fair editions related).
We incorporated the segment “Will not participate” which indicates the non-participation in any of the 3 reference fairs of this study. The other brands verify the other possible movements, always analyzing the galleries individually.
The following pie charts, all galleries participation combinations are expressed, of each edition with respect to the next. The analyzed areas of the graph represent the total of the galleries in percentage totals. Gathered per year, through these combinations try to reference the movement of the galleries in each edition, in addition to demonstrating the multiple and variable interest between these three fairs.
Every gallery represents a percentage of the total participations and non-participations, the summary table on the right specifies the total of each fair, within the possible participations combinations (non-participations are excluded from the total).
2016 to 2017
2017 to 2018
2018 to 2019
Selection Policies
The different participation policies of each fair are based on the quality standards of its artists, annual exhibitions, collections and collectors, collaborations with institutions, etc. The following table expresses the continuity of the galleries from one edition to the next, from a total of 4 editions analyzed 2016-2019.
