Frieze New York closed its 15th edition on The hangar on Sunday, May 17, after five days joined by leading international galleries, museum acquisitions, artist works and high collecting activity in one of the city’s key May art weeks. The 2026 fair welcomed 25,000 visitors from 75 countries and brought together 68 galleries from 26 countries. Exhibitors presented a focused selection that united emerging artists with internationally recognized names, while collectors, institutions, foundations, curators and artists gave the exhibition a dense professional audience from the opening preview to the final hours.
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The exhibition also marked another year of Frieze New York at The Shed and continued its relationship with Global Lead Partner Deutsche Bank. Galleries reported strong sales from the first preview day, with sales at various market levels. The week included seven-figure trades, mid-range institutional activity and works by emerging artists priced from around $4,000. Private collectors participated alongside university collections, museums and institutions, giving the publication a strong commercial impact and a visible institutional profile.
Museum acquisitions
The inaugural Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund gave the 2026 edition one of its clearest public collection stories. The fund supported acquisitions by the Brooklyn Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art through four Focus presentations. The Brooklyn Museum acquired two of Bettina’s works from Ulrik. The Baltimore Museum of Art acquired Both Banks I by Reika Takebayashi from Public Gallery, Destellos, PILLAN SIKILL 1 by Seba Calfuqueo from W-Galería, and Festival 7 by Joanne Burke from Soft Opening. Each living artist represented through the fund also received an unrestricted award of $5,000, while an additional artist award will support the documentation and preservation of Bettina’s work posthumously.
Courtesy of ©Frieze, Photo by Casey Kelbaugh/CKA
Seven-figure placements
Sales at the top of the show kicked off with White Cube selling El Anatsui’s LuwVor I for $2.2 million and MivEvi III for $1.9 million. The gallery also placed Antony Gormley’s SET VII for £450,000, Howardena Pindell’s Deep Space #4 for $275,000 and Marina Rheingantz’s Salvador for $250,000. Thaddaeus Ropac sold Georg Baselitz’s Stunde der Nachtigall for €1.4 million, Robert Rauschenberg’s Bob Song (Salvage) for $825,000 and Alex Katz’s Black Roses 3 for $600,000. Almine Rech placed a light work by James Turrell in the $900,000 to $1 million range, while Hales sold the main work from his solo show to Virginia Jaramillo for $540,000.
Courtesy of ©Frieze, Photo by Casey Kelbaugh/CKA
Sold-Out Booths and Gallery Momentum
Other major galleries also reported widespread activity. Gagosian recorded sales for artists such as Derrick Adams, Helen Frankenthaler, Gerhard Richter, Adriana Varejão, Stanley Whitney and Francesca Woodman. Pace Gallery sold works from its Maya Lin and Leo Villareal presentation from $100,000 to $200,000. Kukje Gallery sold two works by Ha Chong-Hyun, plus works by Kibong Rhee, Kyungah Ham, Ugo Rondinone, Julian Opie, Gimhongsok and Jean-Michel Othoniel. Tina Kim Gallery also reported sales for Ha Chong-Hyung, Kim Tschang-Yeul, Kibong Rhee, Lee ShinJa, Maia Ruth Lee, Livien Yin, Suki Seokyeong Kang, Davide Balliano, Pio Abad and Jane Yang D’Haene.
Several booths achieved near sell-out or sold-out results. Johyun Gallery sold out its focused presentation of Lee Bae, with works ranging from $100,000 to $250,000. James Cohan placed all eight paintings from Kelly Sinnapah Mary’s solo show, led by The Sacred Garden at $130,000. Night Gallery sold seven Hayley Barker paintings priced between $30,000 and $175,000. The Public Gallery sold out Reika Takebayashi’s presentation, while the Soft Opening sold out the booth with new works by Joanne Burke. Almeida & Dale and François Ghebaly nearly sold out their joint presentation, with sales including works by Jaider Esbell, Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato, Tony Matelli, Melike Kara, Patricia Iglesias Peco, Maia Ruth Lee and Maxwell Alexandre.
Courtesy of ©Frieze, Photo by Casey Kelbaugh/CKA
Latin American galleries are gaining attention
Frieze New York 2026 also gave strong exposure to Latin American galleries and artists. Fourteen of the 68 participating galleries were from the region, with artists from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and other countries in the section. Eight Brazilian galleries participated with the support of Latitude. The selection committee included Fátima González of Campeche in Mexico City and Omayra Alvarado-Jensen of the Instituto de Visión in Bogotá. Participating galleries connected to the region were Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, A Gentil Carioca, Almeida & Dale, Kurimanzutto, Mendes Wood DM, Miter Galeria, Campeche, Isla Flotante, Instituto de Visión and W-Galería.
Courtesy of ©Frieze, Photo by Casey Kelbaugh/CKA
Catering Department and Stand Award
The Focus section, curated for the third consecutive year by Lumi Tan and supported by Stone Island, gave galleries established in the past 12 years a major platform within the fair. The section attracted curatorial attention and significant acquisition activity. W-Galería won the 2026 Focus Stand Award for the solo presentation of Seba Calfuqueo, whose Destellos, PILLAN SIKILL 1 also entered the Baltimore Museum of Art through the Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund. The jury included Rita Gonzalez from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Shamim M. Momin from the Bronx Museum, and Amy Smith-Stewart from the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art. Honorable Mentions were awarded to Soft Opening for Joanne Burke and Gordon Robichaux for Deondre Davis.
Courtesy of ©Frieze, Photo by Casey Kelbaugh/CKA
Artistic projects and institutional programs
Frieze also included works by artists and institutional partnerships that shaped the exhibition beyond the gallery booths. Jonathan González presented a performance and photographic installation with the Whitney Museum of American Art. David Lamelas collaborated with the Dia Art Foundation. Kite developed a new panel in partnership with Counterpublic. These works put the exhibition in direct conversation with major cultural organizations during a week that also brought gallery openings, museum exhibitions and satellite exhibitions to New York.
Ruinart Art Lounge
Ruinart added another cultural layer through the Art Lounge at Frieze New York. Each year, Ruinart collaborates with global artists for the Conversations with Nature series and presents works in more than 30 international art fairs before the works travel to the brand’s home in Reims, France for permanent installation. For Frieze New York, Ruinart hosted preparatory work and studies until 2026 Conversations with Nature partner Tadashi Kawamata. The artist created these studies before three large-scale in-situ projects planned for 4 Rue des Crayères, the Ruinart Maison and the UNESCO list. Kawamata works with wood and reused materials and creates installations in close relation to the natural, urban or architectural environment. His process begins with the observation of light, air currents, vegetation and natural patterns and is then developed through drawings and models prior to production.
Institutional Monitoring
The exhibition attracted a broad institutional audience, including representatives from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, Dia Art Foundation, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Dallas Museum of Art National, Storm King Art Center, and many others. Collectors, artists, cultural figures and public names also participated, including Elizabeth Banks, Ciara, Anderson Cooper, Misty Copeland, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Dillon, A$AP Ferg, Julia Fox, Bette Midler, Norman Reedus, Michael Stipe, Sharon Wearst, and Kelly. With sales, museum acquisitions, Focus Awards, institutional projects and Ruinart’s art presentation, Frieze New York 2026 closed with a detailed picture of the market and cultural activity surrounding contemporary art in New York.
