Courtesy Comme des Garçons Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story It’s Frieze -ing right now in London, with the arrival of real coat weather and the first tumble of crisp leaves heralding—as if by magic—the emergence of two marquees on opposite sides of Regent’s Park.
Between them, they host two of the art world’s biggest potential shopping sprees. On the Great Portland Street side is Frieze London, a directionally curated buffet of contemporary art, served up by industry-propping mega-galleries and precocious, scene-steering indies alike. Up towards Camden, Frieze Masters spans the breadth and complexity of art history, from antiquities through Old Masters to queer Modernist masterpieces. Here’s how to navigate the marathon that lies ahead, the Vogue way.
Okiki Akinfe, If Only I Could Raise My Hands , 2026. Courtesy the artist and Ginny on Frederick.
Know that going in blind can be a woefully inefficient—not to mention tiring—approach. Instead, take a look through the full program and anchor your day around a couple of stand-outs. In Frieze London’s main section, mine include Ajamu X’s new photographs at Amanda Wilkinson; Sadie Coles HQ’s mega line-up (including an 11-foot-tall Alex Da Corte sculpture and works by Tau Lewis and Karimah Ashadu); Sam Lipp and Maren Karlson’s paintings at Soft Opening; and a lucid dream of a Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings painting on show at Arcadia Missa.
Over in the Tiffany & Co.-sponsored Artist-to-Artist section, which hosts solo projects by emerging artists nominated by established names, I’ll be making a beeline for Brazilian interdisciplinarian Jota Mombaça’s presentation, as nominated by Otobong Nkanga. At Focus, the section dedicated to platforming rising galleries, Okiki Akinfe’s solo booth at Ginny on Frederick, Amanda Moström’s goatskin-clad everyday objects at Rose Easton, Benjamin Lallier’s somber installation at London newcomer Heidi, and Ryan Huggins’s recreation of a “porno booth” from a decaying German sex cinema at a.Squire are all at the top of my list. And don’t miss the gender-neutral public restrooms, which this year have been transformed into “an intimate olfactory experience” by Gray Wielebinski.
Daniel Rodgers, British Vogue ’s senior fashion news editor, tells me he’ll be heading straight for Frieze Masters. “The guests are, on average, at least 20 years older and the work spans millennia of art history. Last year I saw an early Rubens, a Cretaceous-era subadult triceratops skull, and a lovely wooden cabinet.” Funmi Fetto, British Vogue ’s beauty and wellness director, adds that she “can’t wait to see what [director] Emanuela Tarizzo has done for Frieze Masters,” citing a Paula Rego painting on show at Piano Nobile’s booth among her highlights, as well as Grayson Perry’s scheduled talk. “He is always so brilliant and entertaining.”
Yuyan Wang, Boring Billion , 2026. Commissioned and produced by Fondazione In Between Art Film, and co-produced by the Vega Foundation, for the exhibition Canicula, 2026.
“My advice for Frieze Week is to broaden your horizons beyond the tent,” remarks Olivia Allen, British Vogue ’s fashion writer. (Here are 18 shows worth checking off your list for starters.)
At No 9 Cork Street , Frieze’s permanent space in the heart of Mayfair, shows open during the week include Jordan Nassar’s geometric panels featuring intricate Palestinian tatreez embroidery, presented by Dubai-based the Third Line, and Robin F. Williams’s paintings and…