Our Highlights From Frieze New York 2026
From Cindy Sherman’s photographs to hair installations.
The art calendar always promises its fair share of celebs, Margiela Tabis and free-flowing champagne, and this year was no exception for Frieze Week in New York. The fair hit the Big Apple from May 13 to 17, taking over The Shed in the heart of Manhattan. International collectors, gallerists, editors and celebrities were present for the opening, where presentations from almost 70 galleries were modest and studied. While the art world is far from enthusiastic at the moment (and Frieze New York is not a favored showcase), the pace of sales was still encouraging.
With the fair entering its 14th year, many are asking whether Frieze New York is a must-see on the cultural calendar. With that said, the week features plenty of presentations from both leading local and international galleries, alongside a hot new crop of talent in the Focus section (sponsored by Stone Island). Beyond The Shed, the city is also host to a myriad of gallery openings, parties and cultural events that take over during the week. Whether you consider yourself a gallerina, a taste-maker or are simply curious, below we’ve rounded up some highlights from Frieze New York. For us, the city was still buzzing with talent.
Hauser & Wirth’s Booth
At Hauser & Wirth’s booth, four new photographs, each an edition of six, by the legendary Cindy Sherman, were a show-stopper. With many of them selling on the preview day and Leonardo DiCaprio making a few visits to the booth, this was a highlight showcase.
‘Focus’ Section
Artist: Aki Goto
The Focus section, curated by Lumi Tan for the third consecutive year, brought together 11 emerging international galleries and presented solo projects highlighting some of today’s most innovative artistic voices. Stone Island was the official partner of the section, continuing its support for young galleries through vital funding, alongside designing the staff uniforms in partnership with artist Reika Takebayashi.
Printed Matter, Inc. at the Frieze Library
For those times when we needed a bit of a break from the browse, the Frieze Library offered that perfect refuge. This year, Printed Matter, Inc. was celebrating its 50th year, presenting a new collaborative artist edition by Deanna and Ed Templeton, alongside a curated selection of past editions by artists such as Huma Bhabha and Paul Pfeiffer.
Frame
Diedrick Brackens, the cup is a cloud, 2018, woven acrylic and cotton yarn
Frame is a section of the fair showcasing solo artist projects by galleries that are 10 years old or younger. New woven works by Diedrick Brackens, now purchased by the Brooklyn Museum this week, were on display and explore the figure of the Black cowboy in the 19th century. Elsewhere in Frame, a 1974 film installation by Takahiko Iimura was on display.
Talks at the MatchesFashion Lounge
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Frieze always provides a brilliant line-up of talks, with the MATCHESFASHION.COM lounge featuring some fashion heavyweights. The program included designer Christopher Kane discussing sex and fashion with the founder of The Sex Ed, Liz Goldwyn. Elsewhere on the schedule, Grace Wales Bonner joined Nick Sethi to speak about the dialogue between art and fashion.
Frieze Sculpture
If you headed down to Rockefeller Center, Frieze Sculpture was an impressive showcase curated by Brett Littman. 14 international artists were exhibiting, including Nick Cave, Walter De Maria, Goshka Macuga, Sarah Sza and Hank Willis Thomas.
Seba Calfuqueo
This year in the fashion world, we’ve seen our fair share of hair being used, becoming a trend in last season’s runway shows with innovative wearable pieces. If you thought you’d seen it all, think again. Mapuche artist Seba Calfuqueo’s solo booth presented several hair-centered works, informed by their indigenous heritage and exploring themes of feminism and resistance. Calfuqueo was also announced as the winner of the annual ‘Focus’ Stand Prize.
