International art fair Frieze set to expand its footprint in the United States On Thursday, the fair announced that it would acquire the Armory Show in New York and Expo Chicago. According to the press release, both salons will continue operations with their existing names and teams, but no additional details on the nature of the agreements were disclosed.
The bold move by London-based Frieze, which already ran Frieze New York and Frieze Los Angeles, to acquire two of the oldest art fairs in the United States raises eyebrows over London’s future in the era post-Brexit when some players in the art market are already turning away from the British capital.
Frieze said in a statement that it has acquired the Armory Show, which takes place every September, and has signed an agreement to buy Expo Chicago, which usually takes place in mid-April. “These acquisitions mark a transformative moment in Frieze’s growth and allow us to expand the depth and breadth of our presence in the United States, the world’s premier art market,” said Frieze CEO, Simon Fox, in a statement.
“New York and Chicago each have their own distinct ecosystem of artists, galleries, museums and collectors,” he added. “By expanding our presence in both cities, we will build on the strong track records we have established in the United States at Frieze New York and Frieze Los Angeles.”
Following the acquisitions, Nicole Berry, executive director of the Armory Show, founded in 1994, and Tony Karman, founder, president and director of Expo Chicago, founded in 2012, will work alongside Frieze’s international team of directors in all fairs under the new structure.
Berry said joining Frieze would allow the nearly three-decade-old Armory Show to grow even more in the long run. “Joining Frieze allows us to leverage a respected brand, deep industry knowledge, expanded resources and a wider network, which will further enhance the experience for our exhibitors and visitors,” said she said in a statement. Karman, on the other hand, said joining Frieze would help boost the fair’s impact.
The two largest fair operators have made great strides in recent years in an attempt to achieve global dominance: Frieze has ventured into Asia in 2022 with an inaugural edition of Frieze Seoul, which will return for a second edition in September. That same year, Art Basel launches Paris+ Last year. Both new initiatives have met with positive responses.
Art Basel’s parent company, Swiss fairs giant MCH, has canceled the long London masterpiece this year, which it had acquired piece by piece between 2017 and 2022, citing a lack of European exhibitors returning to the show due to rising costs and post-Brexit paperwork.
The June slot was taken over by a new local fair Treasure Fair founded by the original founders of Masterpiece, but the exhibition conceived in just four months operated on a much smaller scale and the presence of EU-based galleries was rare.
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