Frieze New York 2026 kicked off its 15th edition at The Shed in Manhattan on Wednesday, May 13th with a VIP preview that drew a smart mix of collectors, museum heads, artists, and other cultural figures. 68 galleries from 25 countries are participating in this year’s fair, which runs through May 17th.
Among those in attendance on Wednesday were boldface names including Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Fox, and Sharon Stone, in addition to major collectors and patrons including Don and Mera Rubell, Beth Rudin DeWoody, and Glenn Fuhrman. Museum directors and institutional leaders came out in droves, among them the Serpentine Galleries’s artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist and Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak. Artists Dustin Yellin, Emma Webster, and Jungjin Lee attended as well.
The fair’s preview day saw strong sales across blue chip and emerging artists alike. A few galleries reported sales that surpassed seven figures, led by White Cube, who sold two major pieces by El Anatsui: LuwVor I (2025) for $2.2 million and MivEvi III (2025) for $1.9 million. At Thaddaeus Ropac, Georg Baselitz’s oil painting Stunde der Nachtigall (2012) sold for €1.4 million ($1.63 million), while Almine Rech offloaded a light work by James Turrell that is valued between $900,000 and $1,000,000.
While Public Gallery, with a presentation of works by Reika Takebayashi, was the only booth reported to have sold out thus far, a few other galleries including Mendes Wood DM, Ortuzar Projects, and Marc Selwyn Fine Art finished the day with only one or two remaining works available.
And as part of the inaugural year of the Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund, the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Baltimore Museum of Art acquired a handful of works by artists including Bettina, Reika Takebayashi, Joanne Burke, and Seba Calfuqueo, whose solo booth with W-Galería won the gallery the 2026 Focus Stand Prize. As part of the Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund, each artist will receive an unrestricted award of $5,000.
Below, Artsy rounds up a selection of leading sales reports by galleries at Frieze New York 2026. Check back on Monday for our full sales report.
Leading sales from Frieze New York 2026:
- Gagosian had a strong opening day, placing works by a number of artists on their roster including Derrick Adams, Helen Frankenthaler, Gerhard Richter, Adriana Varejão, Stanley Whitney, and Francesca Woodman. The gallery does not disclose sales, though according to Artnews, a large piece by Sarah Sze was placed on hold.
- In addition to the El Anatsui works, White Cube also sold Antony Gormley’s SET VII (2024) for £450,000 ($606,360); Howardena Pindell’s painting Deep Space #4 (2025) for $275,000; and a Julie Curtiss work on paper for $35,000.
- Thaddaeus Ropac reported a number of sales, including a silkscreen ink and acrylic on canvas piece by Robert Rauschenberg for $825,000; an oil painting by Alex Katz for $600,000; and an ink pen on paper work by Georg Baselitz for €85,000 ($99,250).
- Almine Rech sold multiple works, including a large-scale painting by Virginia Jaramillo, the centerpiece of their solo booth, for $540,000.
- Kukje Gallery saw a lot of activity on opening day, selling two works by Ha Chong-Hyun ranging between $390,000 to $468,000 and another between $10,000 to $12,000; an Ugo Rondinone sculpture in the range of $90,000 to $108,000; and a mosaic work by Julian Opie in the range of £45,000 to £54,000 ($60,650 to $72,790).
- Tina Kim Gallery sold a number of works ranging from $180,000 to $20,000, including a Maia Ruth Lee painting priced between $70,000 and $80,000 and a ceramic sculpture by Jane Yang D’Haene priced between $20,000 and $30,000.
- At Southern Guild, four print works by Lebohang Kganye each sold in the range of $20,000 to $38,000; two oil paintings by Mmangaliso Nzuza each sold between $20,000 and $38,000; and two works by Amine El Gotaibi each sold in the range of $20,000 to $38,000.
Mendes Wood DM finished the day with only one work remaining. Strong sales across the day include pieces from Sonia Gomes, Mimi Lauter, Paulo Nimer Pjota, and Pol Taburet.
