Fair's fair

Frieze is the biggest art fair in London with 70,000 visitors a year, including Elton John, Posh Spice and Claudia Schiffer. More have sprung up around it - what’s behind the art fair boom?

Inside Frieze 2010. Credit: Tridekker

Frieze Art Fair gets nearly 70,000 visitors on its four days each year, despite being held in a cavernous tent, set up in London’s Regent’s Park - hardly the most glamorous place in the world. At £20 a ticket (23 Euro), and with minimum prices of around £6,000, it’s a lucrative event.

A range of alternatives

So it’s led in showing that contemporary art can draw big crowds - but it’s fallen down in showing that it’s unaffordable for most people. No surprise that other fairs are springing up and basking in the reflected glory.

Less traditionally, the entirely virtual VIP art fair iinviting visitors to sign up – and pay an entry fee – for access to its exclusive dealer rooms. The difference is that it sells material works of art.

The London Art Fair http://www.londonartfair.co.uk/ isn’t new to the scene - it has been running for 24 years - but has scaled up its operations. It’s a similar story with Art London.

The Affordable Art Fair. Credit: Rain Rabbit

And The Other Art Fair is aimed at new artists (taking the place of the now defunct Zoo Art Fair, which last began in 2009). This is an “art fair that provides a fresh, open platform to connect art buyers of all tastes and experience directly with young, emerging artists before they are signed.” In other words, it’s artists not dealers.

So why the boom?

First, because the art market is still holding up ok, despite the financial troubles. As the Economist Magazine puts it, “As Europe descends into further economic chaos, its art market is climbing high”.

But it’s also because the Art Fair itself has become an attraction. At Frieze, 80% of visitors go just to see the art - most of it by big name artists - and people-watch rather than buy. And you can’t get a London art fair for less than £12 (15 Euros). Inside, they have live sculptures walking around, specially commissioned art works, funky bars and cafes inside, and, frequently, celebrities walking around. They’re not art fairs - they’re art theme parks.