Masterpieces Reimagined: Standouts from Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2024

This year’s editions of Frieze London and Frieze Masters offer a distinctive exploration of contemporary, modern, and historical art, each with its own unique focus. Frieze London showcases cutting-edge contemporary works, highlighting innovation from emerging and established artists, while Frieze Masters presents a collection spanning from antiquities to Old Masters and key modern works of the 20th century. 

Leiko Ikemura at Lisson Gallery

A true standout at Frieze London 2024, Lisson Gallery’s Booth D1 introduces the first solo presentation of Japanese and Swiss artist Leiko Ikemura in London, making it a must-see at the fair. Celebrating the beginning of her representation by the gallery, Ikemura’s works traverse mediums, showcasing ethereal tempera and oil paintings on jute alongside intricate glass, terracotta, and bronze sculptures. Usagi Kannon Pray (168) (2022), a mystical figure blending rabbit ears with a human face, serves as the emotional center of her presentation. This piece, heavily influenced by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and Fukushima disaster, reflects resilience and renewal through a distinctly Shintoist lens. Her other works, such as Yellow Scape (2020) and Lago Rondo (2020), echo these spiritual undertones while presenting cosmic landscapes. Meanwhile, intimate sculptures like Double Figure (2024) and Girl Standing in Yellow (2023) explore femininity, challenging traditional depictions of the female form. Ikemura’s fusion of Eastern spirituality with Western artistic archetypes places her work at the forefront of cross-cultural dialogue, ensuring Lisson Gallery’s booth is one of the most significant presentations at this year’s fair.

Georg Baselitz and Robert Longo at Thaddaeus Ropac

Transitioning from the introspective spirituality of Ikemura’s work, Thaddaeus Ropac’s booth D20 delivers a powerful contrast, showcasing major pieces by Georg Baselitz and Robert Longo. Baselitz’s Vanille (2020), part of his “Speiseeis” series, playfully reimagines his wife Elke through inverted portraiture and rich references to Willem de Kooning’s ethereal techniques. The mirrored transfer process of the oil painting further underscores Baselitz’s deep engagement with art history, while its vibrant palette evokes the whimsicality of ice cream flavors. Meanwhile, Robert Longo’s Study of Santa Teresa (2024), an ink and charcoal preparatory drawing for his monumental work Pilgrim, channels the intensity of Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Longo’s meticulous rendering fuses drawing with sculptural sensibilities, capturing the emotional depth of the subject. Completing the trio of highlights at Ropac is Megan Rooney’s Green Sky (Longing) (2024), a poetic, ethereal piece that adds a touch of delicate mysticism to the presentation.

Wendi Norris Gallery, Ginny on Frederick, and The Sunday Painter at Frieze London

To gain further insight into the highlights of Frieze London and Frieze Masters, I consulted with curator and collector Maria Korolevskaya, who shared: “After a brilliant appearance at Art Basel earlier this year, Leonora Carrington is coming to Frieze Masters with Wendi Norris Gallery. The exhibition Landscapes of the Mind celebrates the 100th anniversary of Surrealism, featuring works by historical female artists like Dorothea Tanning, Bridget Tichenor, Alice Rahon, and Leonor Fini. This exhibition explores Surrealism through the lens of these pioneering women.” Korolevskaya continued, “My next stop will be Frieze Masters Studio 2024 for Shirazeh Houshiary with Lisson. Her meditative practice, focused on visualizing breath, will be showcased through both historic and recent works.” Maria also highlighted Leiko Ikemura’s work at Lisson Gallery: “Her exploration of the female form through cross-cultural themes, influenced by Japanese Shintoism, makes her representation at Lisson truly special.”

Maria also expressed curiosity about Tess Jaray’s paintings at Ben Hunter and Offer Waterman. “I’m interested in her paintings from the 1988 Serpentine Gallery exhibition, which examines Minimalism and Op Art with poetic elements.” Lastly, Maria noted Charlotte Edey’s solo presentation at Ginny on Frederick, stating, “Edey’s works are filled with symbolism and mysticism, with her use of soft pastels and silk embroidery creating an almost otherworldly aesthetic,” and highlighted Emily Kraus at The Sunday Painter’s booth, referencing the visual tension in her Agon series and the balance between structure and free-form color.

“Smoke” Curated by Pablo José Ramírez at Frieze London

One of the most authentic and rigorous sections of Frieze London 2024 is Smoke, curated by Pablo José Ramírez, which offers a profound exploration of ceramics, indigenous knowledge systems, and diasporic narratives. Drawing on pre-colonial traditions, the artists redefine ceramics as a medium of resistance, memory, and cultural expression. Ayla Tavares’s site-specific commission, presented by Galeria Athena and Hatch, portrays clay as a living material, reflecting environmental and social connections, while Tz’utujil Maya artist Manuel Chavajay juxtaposes ceramic pots with engine-oil paintings, urging reflection on indigenous ecological wisdom in the context of modern crises. Noé Martínez furthers this discourse with suspended sgraffito ceramics that reclaim space for ancestral narratives, critiquing the erasure of Indigenous voices. Together, Smoke reshapes our understanding of the relationship between art, history, and indigenous epistemologies, making it an essential and thought-provoking highlight of Frieze London.

Tracey Emin at White Cube

One continues to navigate the fair, and it is essential to stop at White Cube, where Tracey Emin’s bronze relief portraits, drawn from her acclaimed commission for the entrance doors of the National Portrait Gallery, offer a powerful reflection on the significance of women. The presentation features ten limited-edition panels cast in bronze from Emin’s drawings, celebrating the presence and importance of women in art history, whose contributions have often been overlooked. These works coincide with Emin’s major solo exhibition, Tracey Emin: I followed you to the end, currently on view at White Cube Bermondsey. First revealed in June 2023 as part of the National Portrait Gallery’s refurbishment, the bronze panels mark a poignant tribute, inviting viewers to reflect on their own interpretations of the diverse array of female figures portrayed. This presentation not only underscores Emin’s lasting impact on contemporary art but also highlights the intersection of personal and collective narratives, making her work a significant moment in the fair.

Carol Bove at Gagosian

Gagosian’s open booth captivates with Carol Bove’s striking new large-scale installation Grove I–Grove IX. This monumental series comprises nine ten-foot-tall abstract sculptures, blending painted discs, crumpled stainless-steel tubes, and raw steel fragments, blurring the line between the organic and artificial. Bove’s sculptures, known for their interplay between natural and industrial elements, shift in perception as visitors move around them, with the vividly coloured components often evoking a digital appearance. The contrasting textures and finishes within each piece spark a conversation about the assumed qualities of materials, with Bove’s placement deepening the dialogue between modernist formalism and contemporary artistic practices. The resonance of influences from Art Deco, Minimalism, and public art creates a multi-faceted viewing experience, inviting collectors and critics alike to engage with the ever-evolving discourse of materiality and space.

Urs Fischer at Sadie Coles HQ

In the meantime, Sadie Coles HQ presents Urs Fischer’s Palm (2023), a striking work at Frieze London 2024. Fischer’s provocative screen-printed aluminium panels revisit iconic headshots of 1950s Hollywood actresses, employing these images as Dada-inspired readymades. Through digital manipulation and fragmented layering, Fischer distorts the nostalgic allure of these portraits, creating a playful yet pointed collision between glamour and cartoonish distortion. Palm invites visitors to reflect on the transformation of cultural symbols over time, blending the romanticized icons of a bygone era with surreal, modern aesthetics. What makes Palm particularly engaging is its complex material composition—merging an aluminium honeycomb panel with layers of gesso and solvent-based screen printing paint—that challenges the viewer’s expectations of traditional portraiture. Fischer’s approach forces a reconsideration of the narratives tied to these familiar faces, casting them in a new, contemporary light and offering a compelling commentary on the malleability of representation in the digital age.

The atmosphere shifts at Perrotin’s Frieze London booth, where Gregor Hildebrandt’s cinematic installations fuse visual art and sound. Hildebrandt’s works, crafted from cassette tapes and vinyl collages, evoke a tactile sense of nostalgia while weaving together past and present narratives. Among the highlights is Marlene als Matadora (2024), which juxtaposes the iconic imagery of Marlene Dietrich with his signature repurposed materials, creating a dynamic interplay between history and contemporary culture. His sculptures and wall pieces are deeply rooted in auditory culture, transforming these nostalgic elements into complex compositions that reflect on time and memory. This presentation immerses viewers in a rich interplay of personal and collective histories, making Perrotin’s booth a must-see for collectors seeking innovative, multimedia works that push beyond traditional artistic narratives.

Frieze Masters 2024

Frieze Masters offers a broader perspective, featuring artworks that range from antiquity to the late 20th century, alongside modern works that engage with historical references. It allows for a nuanced exploration of the relationship between past and present, blending eras to provide a deeper understanding of art’s ever-changing nature. Frieze Masters highlights not only historical pieces but also works that bridge the gap between past artistic traditions and contemporary innovations.

Shirazeh Houshiary at Lisson Gallery

In this context, Lisson Gallery’s presentation of Shirazeh Houshiary’s works stands out as a remarkable example of how past and present converge. Displaying over four decades of Houshiary’s investigation into the fundamental forces of existence, this is the first time her historic and recent works are exhibited together, offering a unique conceptual and narrative journey through her evolving practice. Rising to prominence in the 1980s, Houshiary has consistently expanded the boundaries of traditional sculpture and painting, anchoring her work in themes of breath, perception, and the human search for meaning. The notion of breath, which she describes as life’s most intimate connection, remains central to her practice.

David Aaron at Frieze Masters

The exploration at Frieze Masters takes on new dimensions with David Aaron’s enthralling presentation, where the grandeur of ancient civilizations is vividly resurrected through meticulously preserved antiquities. At its heart is the fully painted polychrome inner sarcophagus of Princess Sopdet-em-haawt, a remarkable relic from Egypt’s late 25th-Early 26th Dynasty. Displayed in the UK for the first time, it offers a vivid glimpse into ancient Egyptian funerary practices, with vibrant yellow and white interiors adorned with intricate inscriptions revealed when the sarcophagus was opened in 2014 after being sealed for two centuries. Discovered in Saqqarah in 1832, it remains a masterpiece of craftsmanship, its face adorned with a voluminous wig and vulture headdress, reflecting the refined skill of Theban workshops during Egypt’s Late Period. The sarcophagus not only portrays an idealized image of the princess but also carries a handwritten note from 1834 detailing its removal from Egypt, enriching its historical narrative with layers of discovery and preservation.

Equally mesmerizing is the 6th-century B.C. Corinthian helmet, an iconic symbol of Greek martial prowess, crafted from a single hammered bronze plate. Its almond-shaped eyes, swooping eyebrows, and elongated nose guard exemplify the height of Greek armour design, balancing aesthetic beauty with practical defence. The robust construction and carefully restored features offer insight into the military artistry of the time. These highlights, alongside other artefacts such as Near Eastern ceremonial objects, provide a profound exploration of antiquity, making David Aaron’s booth (A2) an essential stop for collectors and history enthusiasts. Here, cultural significance and masterful craftsmanship merge, offering an opportunity to engage with the legacy of ancient civilizations, each piece telling a story steeped in history and enduring human achievement.

Old Masters at Robilant + Voena

Frieze Masters takes a fascinating turn at Robilant + Voena’s booth (D2), where masterpieces spanning centuries are brought together in a striking display. The booth offers a compelling mix of Old Master paintings, such as a rare portrait by Joshua Reynolds and an important work by Goya, alongside Post-War Italian and international modern masters. Notably, Reynolds’ portrait of Nancy Horton, capturing the 18th-century socialite with elegance, and Goya’s Portrait of Maria Soledad Rocha Fernandez de la Peña, Marquesa de Caballero (1807), are both highlights, with the latter shown publicly for the first time in nearly a century.

The Old Masters works engage seamlessly with 20th-century pieces, including Lucio Fontana’s early ceramics and Michelangelo Pistoletto’s dynamic mirror works, forming a dialogue between artistic eras and innovations. The modern section also features Post-War Italian masters like Agostino Bonalumi and Enrico Castellani, alongside international icons such as Andy Warhol and René Magritte. A highlight is Fontana’s La Novia (1940) and Natura Morta (1955), exhibited in Europe for the first time. With this expertly curated selection, Robilant + Voena offers collectors a unique opportunity to witness the interplay of artistic traditions across time, revealing how past masters continue to influence contemporary artistic practice.

Adriana Varejão at Victoria Miro

At Victoria Miro, Adriana Varejão draws oh Brazil’s colonial past through a unique combination of painting and sculpture. Her use of Azulejão—Portuguese tile motifs—has been central to her work since the late 1980s, and in this new series, she pushes these decorative surfaces into bold abstractions. Works like Azulejão (Nazaré) (2024) feature cracked layers of oil and plaster, revealing metaphorical ‘wounds’ that evoke the fragility of historical narratives. Varejão’s cuts into the canvas, integrating suture threads to symbolically ‘heal’ the wounds, speak to the reconciliation of painful colonial legacies. Drawing on Baroque and Neo-Baroque influences, she transforms painting into a decolonial narrative, urging viewers to confront the histories of violence, labour, and cultural transformation, turning her canvases into spaces where history, memory, and healing collide.

Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, and Agnes Martin at Ben Brown Fine Arts

Ben Brown Fine Arts is also well worth visiting, with a focus on modern and post-war art. Here, the focus shifts to modern and post-war art, where iconic works by Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, and Agnes Martin come together in a display that captures the diversity and dynamism of 20th-century artistic innovation. Calder’s Éléments Démontables (Maquette) takes center stage, its biomorphic forms responding delicately to the air, demonstrating his genius for kinetic sculpture and the organic vitality that infuses his work. This presentation coincides with the gallery’s concurrent exhibition Calder: Extreme Cantilever in London, offering a deeper understanding of Calder’s pioneering approach to movement in art.

Alongside Calder’s work, Ben Brown’s booth features rare and intimate pieces by Warhol and Martin, providing unique insights into these American masters. Warhol’s critique of celebrity culture and mass media contrasts with Martin’s serene and meditative grids, creating a juxtaposition that encourages reflection on the evolving nature of visual art. The interplay between public spectacle and private introspection within these works showcases how artists across generations have drawn from and redefined tradition, inviting viewers to contemplate new paths in contemporary artistic practice.

Giorgio de Chirico at Mazzoleni

Mazzoleni presents a fascinating juxtaposition of Giorgio de Chirico’s Le muse inquietanti (1959) and Andy Warhol’s Disquieting Muses (After de Chirico) (1982), offering a rare opportunity to observe how Warhol reinterpreted de Chirico’s metaphysical seminal work. De Chirico’s enigmatic figures and dreamlike compositions, with their themes of time, melancholy, and existential mystery, deeply influenced Warhol, who translated these ideas through his pop-art lens, blending classical inspiration with modern sensibilities. The booth creates a rich conversation between the two artists, prompting viewers to reflect on the ongoing influence of antiquity and its reinterpretation in contemporary art and culture.

Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2024 demonstrate art’s enduring ability to reflect, challenge, and evolve with the world, even amidst profound global shifts. In a post-Brexit, post-pandemic landscape, these fairs affirm London’s continued prominence in the international art conversation. From Leiko Ikemura’s spiritual works to the ancient artefacts at David Aaron, the interplay between past and present illustrates the resilience of art, reminding us that, as Picasso noted, ‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.’ Frieze’s dynamic curation offers clarity and inspiration for the future.