What Sold at Frieze New York 2025

Frieze New York 2025 closed on May 11th, capping off a week at The Shed that drew more than 25,000 visitors. The fair unfolded alongside more than 10 other art fairs across the city, turning New York into a pressure cooker of art world activity, with collectors, artists, reporters, curators, and more sprinting between TEFAF, NADA, Independent, and a thicket of satellite fairs, shows, and pop-ups.

On the fair’s VIP day last Wednesday, May 7th, dealers reported strong attendance from the opening moments. The main floor quickly became packed, and early worries about lack of enthusiasm gave way to confidence as crowds moved steadily through The Shed.

While sales moved at a more deliberate pace, positive energy was consistent. Many dealers felt optimistic, including Hauser & Wirth president Marc Payot, who described the crowd as “upbeat.” “Perhaps most significantly, the energy at the fair was amazingly optimistic: we’re seeing an even more robust commitment now on the part of collectors, curators, and institutions to the story of art in this moment,” he added.

Reported sales from the fair spanned from emerging voices to blue-chip names, led by one of Jeff Koons’s “Hulk Elvis” sculptures, which sources told Artsy sold for upwards of $3 million at Gagosian. A topic of conversation at the fair—and across all of New York City—the booth was chosen as one of Artsy’s best booths at the fair.

“Frieze New York 2025 defied expectations, amplifying the momentum of our strong start to the year in Los Angeles,” said Christine Messineo, director of Americas at Frieze. “We are proud to have created a fair that feels responsive to the moment, while maintaining the high standards that galleries, collectors, and institutions expect from Frieze. The energy throughout the week—on the floor, in the programming, and across the city—was extraordinary.”

This year’s edition of the fair featured 67 galleries, one fewer than last year. The Focus section, dedicated to solo presentations from emerging galleries, featured some of the fair’s buzziest booths, including those from London’s Public Gallery and Seoul’s G Gallery. Curated by Lumi Tan and supported by Stone Island, the Focus section included presentations ranging from politically charged installations to digital and sound-based works, with reported prices between $2,000 and $100,000. On Friday, Brazil’s Mitre Galeria received the 2025 Focus Stand Prize for its solo booth of work by Luana Vitra.

The fair also took place as Frieze itself embarks on a major shift: just days earlier, the company announced it would be acquired by an Ari Emmanuel–led consortium in a deal that includes all of its branded fairs as well as The Armory Show, EXPO Chicago, and Frieze magazine, valuing the brand at $200 million. Though the acquisition isn’t expected to close until later this year, the news rippled through opening-day conversations, raising questions—and cautious optimism—about what lies ahead for the fair’s New York edition.

Here, we round up the key sales reported by galleries at Frieze New York 2025.

Top sales at Frieze New York 2025

Gagosian sold Jeff Koons’s Hulk (Tubas) (2004–2018) in the early hours of the fair. While the gallery does not disclose sales, sources told Artsy that the work was sold for upwards of $3 million.

White Cube’s reported sales included a Tracey Emin painting for £1.2 million ($1.59 million) and a bronze by the artist for £80,000 ($106,400). The gallery also reported the sales of:

• A work by Etel Adnan for $180,000.
• Two sculptures by Antony Gormley for £325,000 ($432,250) each.
• A painting by Christine Ay Tjoe, placed with an institution for $280,000.
• Two works by Ilana Savdie, one of which is a new painting priced at $100,000.

Soul Drawing “Lava Lamp”, 2025
Rashid Johnson

Hauser & Wirth

Hauser & Wirth reported the sale of more than 25 works on the fair’s VIP day, with prices for works ranging from $20,000 to $1.2 million. Highlights included Lorna Simpson’s Vista (2025) and Rashid Johnson’s Soul Painting“The Jungle” (2025), both for undisclosed sums.

Thaddaeus Ropac’s sales were led by Georg Baselitz’s Motto: sexuelle Niete sagt Heidegger sagt Celan (2023), which sold for €1 million ($1.11 million). Other sales reported by the gallery included:

• Liza Lou’s Zeugma (2024) for $225,000.
• Joan Snyder’s Float (2015) for $210,000.
• Yan Pei-Ming’s Elle se regarde (2018) for €160,000 ($177,700).
• David Salle’s Bow Tie (2024) for $130,000.
• Martha Jungwirth’s Ohne Titel (2024) for CHF 65,000 ($77,000).
• Hans Josephsohn’s Untitled (1965–70) for £18,000 ($23,700).
• Two untitled 2024 works by Megan Rooney for £18,000 ($23,700) apiece.

More notable sales at Frieze New York 2025

Pace Gallery sold all six of its paintings by Adam Pendleton, which were priced between $165,000 and $425,000. The gallery also sold multiple sculptures by Lynda Benglis for prices ranging from $275,000 to $300,000.

Karma’s reported sales were led by Gertrude Abercrombie’s Owl for Emil (1958) for $350,000 and Richard Mayhew’s Mountain Mindscape (1969) for $350,000. Other sales included:

• Manoucher Yektai’s Blue Table (1960) for $275,000.
• Reggie Burrows Hodges’s Referees: To The House (2021) for $175,000.
• Alan Saret’s Magnetic Storm (1984) for $150,000.
• Calvin Marcus’s Untitled (2020) for $135,000.
• Maja Ruznic’s David and Bob in the Red Room (2025) for $90,000.
• Xiao Jiang’s Rider in the Mountains (2024) for $50,000.

Nara Roesler sold an oil painting by Tomie Ohtake for $350,000.

Kukje Gallery sold a painting by Park Seo-Bo priced between $250,000 and $300,000, and a piece by Kyungah Ham for between $140,000 and $168,000.

Perrotin—one of Artsy’s best booths—sold out its booth of paintings by Claire Tabouret on VIP Day, with prices ranging from $65,000 to $200,000.

Tina Kim Gallery reported sales of a work by Lee ShinJa for $200,000; a piece by Ghada Amer for $175,000; and a textile by Pacita Abad for $150,000.

Mendes Wood DM—another of Artsy’s best booths—placed Sliced Stones (2018), an installation of eight sculptures by Kishio Suga, with an institution for a price in the range of $200,000 to $300,000.

Goodman Gallery reported selling a work by Carrie Mae Weems to a European institution for $100,000.