$3 million Jeff Koons “Hulk Elvis” sculpture leads Frieze New York 2025 sales.
Frieze New York 2025 opened to VIPs on Wednesday, May 7th, drawing a robust crowd of collectors, museum leaders, artists, and other cultural luminaries to The Shed in Hudson Yards. Now in its 13th edition, the fair hosted more than 65 galleries from over 25 countries.
Opening day drew notable names, including Anderson Cooper and Raf Simons, in addition to a hefty slate of art world leaders like artist Tracey Emin, Studio Museum director Thelma Golden, Met CEO Max Hollein, and major collectors and patrons Pamela Joyner and Agnes Gund.
Exhibitors reported early interest and sales across categories, from emerging to blue chip. Seven-figure sales were led by one of Jeff Koons’s “Hulk Elvis” sculptures, which went for upwards of $3 million at Gagosian; and a Tracey Emin painting thatsold for £1.2 million ($1.59 million) at White Cube. Perrotin was one of few galleries that reported a sold out booth, having found homes for its seven Claire Tabouret paintings, priced in the range of $65,000 to $200,000.
“Attendance in the opening hours has been good,” said gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac. “The pace is notably different—people are taking their time and being really considered. But this slower pace gives collectors space to make their decisions. We’re cautiously optimistic.”
Here, we round up a selection of leading sales reported by galleries at Frieze New York 2025. Check back on Monday for our full sales report.
Leading sales from Frieze New York 2025
My World Was Broken Because of You, 2024
Tracey Emin
White Cube
- Gagosian sold Jeff Koons’s Hulk (Tubas) in the early hours of the fair. The gallery does not disclose sales, but sources told Artsy that the work was priced upwards of $3 million.
- White Cube reported strong sales, including a Tracey Emin painting for £1.2 million ($1.59 million) and a bronze for £80,000 ($106,400); a work by Etel Adnan for $180,000; two Antony Gormley sculptures for £325,000 ($432,250) each; a painting by Christine Ay Tjoe, placed with an institution, for $280,000; and two works by Ilana Savdie, one of which is a new painting priced at $100,000.
- Hauser & Wirth sold more than 25 works by early afternoon, with prices ranging from $20,000 to $1.2 million. Highlights included Lorna Simpson’s Vista (2025) and Rashid Johnson’s Soul Painting “The Jungle” (2025).
- Pace Gallery sold all six of its paintings by Adam Pendleton, priced between $165,000 and $425,000, as well as multiple sculptures by Lynda Benglis in the range of $275,000 to $300,000.
- Karma reported a number of significant sales, including Gertrude Abercrombie’s Owl for Emil (1958) for $350,000; Richard Mayhew’s Mountain Mindscape (1969) for $350,000; 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; and a work by Calvin Marcus for $135,000.
Zeugma, 2024
Liza Lou
Thaddaeus Ropac
- Thaddaeus Ropac’s early sales included Liza Lou’s Zeugma (2024) for $225,000; Joan Snyder’s Float (2015) for $210,000; and David Salle’s Bow Tie (2024) for $130,000.
- 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 sold out its booth of paintings by Claire Tabouret, 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 placed Sliced Stones, an installation of eight sculptures by Kishio Suga, for a price in the range of $200,000 to $300,000.
- Goodman Gallery sold a work by Carrie Mae Weems to a European institution for $100,000.
Peroi weaves three-dimensional layered screens evocative of dreamy portals to nature.