
The 11th edition of Frieze New York returned to the Shed in Hudson Yards this week, opening on Wednesday for VIP fairgoers and running until Sunday. Hosting 68 galleries this year, the fair’s opening hours were buzzing, likely a showing of strength for New York’s art market over that of London and Hong Kong.
On the opening day, sales were brisk, with mega-dealers disclosing seven-figure deals and smaller gallery’s seeing investments in newer names. Among the fair’s top sales, which are all self-reported, came from Pace, which sold out its solo booth of works by Brooklyn-based painter Robert Nava (for prices between $30,000 and 80,000) and David Zwirner, who sold multipled works by Suzan Frecon ($50,000–$500,000).
Meanwhile, smaller players also fared well. Los Angeles’s Château Shatto completely sold out their presentation of paintings by Julia Yerger ranging from $10,000 to $12,000, and New York’s 303 Gallery selling pieces by Doug Aitken, Cassi Namoda, Tanya Merril, Sam Falls, Alicia Kwade, Jeppe Heine, Rob Pruitt, and Sue Williams.
Below, a look at some of the fair’s standout sales.
Jack Whitten at Hauser & Wirth

A group of works by Jack Whitten was the spotlight of Hauser & Wirth’s booth. The dealer has been active in increasing the exposure and prices for art by Whitten, who died in 2018 at the age of 78. By the end of the fair’s opening VIP preview day on Wednesday, five of Whitten’s works, including paintings and one sculpture, sold. The top sale was for a 1976 untitled abstract acrylic on canvas, featuring a grey geometric form on a beige background, which sold for $2.5 million. It was one of the few seven-figure prices confirmed in the fair’s opening hours. Four additional works, produced between 1991 and 2015, sold at prices between $160,000 to $950,000.
“Five years after his death, Jack’s work continues revealing new and incredible powers,” Hauser & Wirth president Marc Payot said in a statement following the fair’s first day. “If only Jack could be here to witness the ways his art has captivated new generations of curators, collectors, scholars and the public. It’s a poignant moment for us, and a true honor to place these exceptional works in some of the most prestigious museum and private collections in the United States.”