The Tamesis
Tens of thousands of creative connoisseurs, collectors and art lovers descend on Los Angeles this week for fairs, gallery dinners and other Art Week events. This is a true art world festival hosted by Frieze LA and Felix. Can this remain the case as time goes on and more brands get involved?
Experts say this group is more arts-focused and of higher value than other arts events, which are increasingly facing an oversaturation of branded events and parties. In Los Angeles, brands can get in front of the right people. “This is an artistic crowd [in LA]”
This year’s sales reflect this dynamic. At Frieze, there are multiple seven-figure deals and an ambitious mid-market presence, the show reported on Sunday. Gallerists reported strong sales, and many noted the enthusiasm among collectors in the Los Angeles art community, with the fair welcoming more than 32,000 visitors over the weekend.
In Frieze’s case, chief commercial officer Emily Glazebrook noted that a large portion of the ticket-buying audience was curious about culture in the first place. They may have never collected a piece of art before, but they are eager to learn about it. “They’re interested in culture, and there’s a strong crossover between that audience and the audience that fashion brands want to communicate with,” she said. “It gives our partners the opportunity to reach a fairly broad audience in terms of age, wealth and interests.”
As LA Art Week continues to evolve, it’s worth a look. But brands have to tread carefully; hosting dinners and parties isn’t enough. How can they best take advantage of this?
Keeping art central
Stone Island provides a blueprint. Now in its third year as an official partner of Frieze Los Angeles, the Italian brand is also a supporter of Focus, a section of the fair dedicated to showcasing Los Angeles’ emerging art scene. CEO Robert Triefus said the partnership is more than just a logo badge campaign. “In a way, we have a little bit of a background presence because really the gallery itself and the artists in the gallery are front and center,” he said.
