WME-IMG and Frieze, a leading arts, media and events company, have struck a strategic partnership that will see them work together to expand the resources and expertise available to Frieze’s clients through events, media and technology, it was announced Thursday.
Frieze was founded in 1991 by Amanda Sharp, Matthew Slotover and Tom Gidley with the launch of Frieze magazine, a leading magazine of contemporary art and culture. Sharp and Slotover established Frieze London in 2003, one of the world’s most influential contemporary art fairs, which takes place each October in The Regent’s Park, London. In 2012, Frieze launched Frieze New York, taking place in May; and Frieze Masters, which coincides with Frieze London in October and is dedicated to art from ancient to modern.
As part of the agreement, WME-IMG will support the Frieze Tate Fund, the first acquisition fund connected to an art fair. Since 2003, the fund has enabled Tate to purchase 100 works by 69 artists for the Tate Collection. The Frieze Tate Fund will provide £150,000 for Tate to acquire works of art at Frieze London this October.
“Amanda and Matthew have built Frieze into an incredible offering for the global art community,” WME-IMG co-CEOs Ariel Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell said in a joint statement. “Their commitment to supporting artists and galleries by providing them a multidisciplinary platform to showcase their work is unmatched in the industry. We’re proud to be partnering with them and are excited about the possibilities ahead.”
“We’re really pleased to form a partnership with WME-IMG that will help us increase the value of what we do for the galleries we work with,” Frieze co-founders Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover said in a joint statement. “This partnership will open up a broad range of opportunities across all of Frieze’s activities and enable us to start realizing innovations we’ve been developing over the last year, which we look forward to announcing soon.”
“The Frieze Tate Fund has played a fundamental role in helping Tate build a strong collection of emerging art at an international level. We are thrilled that the Fund, originally supported by Outset, will now continue with this generous support by WME-IMG,” added Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota.
“The Frieze Tate Fund is such an important part of Frieze’s legacy, acquiring art for the Tate Collection at Frieze London since the first edition. We’re thrilled that WME-IMG’s support will enable it to continue,” said Victoria Siddall, director of Frieze Fairs.