{"id":35722,"date":"2024-10-14T20:35:10","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T19:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/?p=35722"},"modified":"2024-10-14T20:35:10","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T19:35:10","slug":"the-worlds-most-expensive-work-of-art-frieze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/the-worlds-most-expensive-work-of-art-frieze\/","title":{"rendered":"The World\u2019s Most Expensive Work of Art\u2014Frieze"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018<\/span><\/span>If I<\/span><\/span> were to<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>place <\/span><\/span>my backpack here,<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>would that be considered art too?<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span> a young man quips<\/span><\/span> to<\/span><\/span> his companion, who has paused <\/span><\/span>by<\/span><\/span> a bench <\/span><\/span>crafted<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>from<\/span><\/span> algae-<\/span><\/span>hued<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ceramic<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>tiles. Notably absent are explanatory texts<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>perhaps a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>deliberate<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>move<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>avoid further bewildering <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>public or to prevent distraction:<\/span><\/span> there are enough<\/span><\/span> impressions to last for months. For some<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>until the next Frieze.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Frieze London \u00a9 Il Gurn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here, t<\/span><\/span>he<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>strategic<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>significance<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>lies in the arrangement, location, and concentration of comparable works in one area.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>Georg Baselitz<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>(b.1938) <\/span><\/span>monumental canvas<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>highlight in any other context<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span> languish<\/span><\/span>es<\/span><\/span> unnoticed<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>in a passageway. The painting <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Painting<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> by Joseph Kosuth<\/span><\/span> (b.1945)<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>conceptual art theorist<\/span><\/span>who<\/span><\/span>, in a way, <\/span><\/span>is the <\/span><\/span>progenitor of what<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s happening at Frieze, is relegated <\/span><\/span>to<\/span><\/span> a corner, keeping company with <\/span><\/span>Jenny <\/span><\/span>Holzer’s (<\/span><\/span>b<\/span><\/span>.1950) marble <\/span><\/span>foot<\/span><\/span>stool engraved <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Abstraction is a type of decadence<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u201d <\/span><\/span>and there<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s no one around either.<\/span><\/span>Meanwhile, it<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s <\/span><\/span>busy<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>near<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>toilets<\/span><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lee Bae. Freize Lindon. \u00a9 <\/span>Il Gurn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amidst this visual tempest, the South Korean gallery Johyun <\/span><\/span>offers a<\/span><\/span> rare oasis of <\/span><\/span>calm<\/span><\/span> for the eye and mind with works by Lee Bae (b. 1956). <\/span><\/span>His e<\/span><\/span>nergetic <\/span><\/span>yet <\/span><\/span>minimalist charcoal ink strokes on large-format paper are as far from decadence as they are from the random quirks of expressionism<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Instead<\/span><\/span>, they<\/span><\/span> echo Eastern wisdom<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>conveyed<\/span><\/span> through the language of symbols (Lee Bae has been working exclusively in traditional charcoal technique for the past quarter-century). In <\/span><\/span>fact<\/span><\/span>, any South Korean <\/span><\/span>booth<\/span><\/span> at Frieze merit<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> attention, as <\/span><\/span>does<\/span><\/span> almost any Berlin <\/span><\/span>booth.<\/span><\/span> They strike a <\/span><\/span>notable<\/span><\/span> balance: experimental yet accessible, surprising yet coherent, showcasing<\/span><\/span> a<\/span><\/span> tempered <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>creative madness<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Billy Childish, Freize. \u00a9 <\/span>Il Gurn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A<\/span><\/span>rt market titans <\/span><\/span>such as <\/span><\/span>White Cube, Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, and David Zwirner Gallery have charted<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>a <\/span><\/span>more <\/span><\/span>familiar course, luring visitors with a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>star-studded<\/span><\/span> roster<\/span><\/span>: Donald Judd, Barbara Kruger, Rose Wylie, Adrian Ghenie, Walter Price<\/span><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/span>The list continues, as does the queue at Lehmann Maupin<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>booth<\/span><\/span>, where Billy Childish<\/span><\/span> (b.1959)<\/span><\/span>and his two <\/span><\/span>sons<\/span><\/span> are<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>live-painting<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>landscape<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>grisaille <\/span><\/span>upon<\/span><\/span> warm linen canvas<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>a major<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>fair <\/span><\/span>attraction. <\/span><\/span>One <\/span><\/span>that<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s proved phenomenally successful: <\/span><\/span>r<\/span><\/span>umor has it that almost all of the Childishes<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span> works<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>were snapped up on the first day.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Frieze<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Masters <\/span><\/span>\u00a9 Il Gurn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The transition<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>from<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Frieze<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>London<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Frieze<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Masters<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>feels<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>like<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>or<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>does<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>it<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>merely<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>seem<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>like?<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>ascending to a <\/span><\/span>higher<\/span><\/span> plane. <\/span><\/span>There, <\/span><\/span>numerous <\/span><\/span>booths<\/span><\/span> bask in an intimate <\/span><\/span>dark<\/span><\/span>, adorned<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>with consoles and cabinets fashioned <\/span><\/span>from<\/span><\/span> natural materials; <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>spaces appear more organized and separated, occasionally featuring internal passages. The compression of millennia<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>from stone relics of the Valdivia culture <\/span><\/span>circa 2200<\/span><\/span>BC to Nam June Paik<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> TV idol, Andy Warhol and Ben Eine<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>re<\/span><\/span>kindles<\/span><\/span> a passion <\/span><\/span>for<\/span><\/span> exploration and contemplation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Frieze Masters \u00a9 Il Gurn<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the entrance to Frieze Masters, a mechanical garden <\/span><\/span>by<\/span><\/span> the Gagosian gallery is set up, featuring steel sculptures by John Chamberlain (1927-2011) and industrial designer Marc Newson<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> (b. 1963)<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>furniture. Th<\/span><\/span>is<\/span><\/span> dialogue between raw industrial forms and sleek<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>design<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>was orchestrated <\/span><\/span>by the curatorial vision of artist Urs Fischer (b. 1973). Not far away, The Gallery of Everything unveils a portal into the surreal world<\/span><\/span> of<\/span><\/span> Czech artist Eva <\/span><\/span>\u0160<\/span><\/span>vankmajerov<\/span><\/span>\u00e1 <\/span><\/span>(1940-2005)<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>her canvases a delightful subversion of communist-era banality and classical European <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>nudes in nature<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> Further on<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Jackson Pollock, Max Ernst, Francis Picabia, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Marc Chagall, Pieter Brueghel the Younger<\/span><\/span>\u2026 <\/span><\/span>Mummies and bones.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Frieze Masters \u00a9 Il Gurn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As they exit, a young woman <\/span><\/span>asks<\/span><\/span> her companion<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>If you had a lot of money, what would you <\/span><\/span>pick to bring home<\/span><\/span>?<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span> He ponders before replying, <\/span><\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/span>The head of a Roman statue<\/span><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/span> or perhaps, nothing at all.<\/span><\/span>\u2019 <\/span><\/span>N<\/span><\/span>othing a<\/span><\/span>nd<\/span><\/span> all.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you were to listen to 160 disparate compositions played simultaneously and try to imagine each instrument\u2014with its distinct volume, dynamics, timbre, and tuning\u2014as a work of art, this might give you a sense of what a visitor experiences at Frieze, without actually stepping inside\u2026 A mechanical swan with a rotating neck, South American household oddities perched atop a clay mound, a colossal Italian coffee maker, the most nonsensical combinations in painting (a folksy tropical slaughter with a pixelated elephant in the background), a jet engine simulated through layers of clothing\u2014the only consistent thread, as if they\u2019re telling us, is to accept that everything we see is art.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":35724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,95],"tags":[],"type_post":[184],"column":[],"class_list":["post-35722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35722"},{"taxonomy":"type_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_post?post=35722"},{"taxonomy":"column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column?post=35722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}