Frieze Seoul is set to potentially break its all-time high sales record this year. Works by blue-chip artists such as Damien Hirst, Louise Bourgeois, James Turrell, and Georg Baselitz are making their way to Seoul. Additionally, pieces by the late Japanese contemporary art icon Yayoi Kusama will be showcased, providing insight into future pricing trends.
The 2026 edition of Frieze Seoul opened on September 2 at COEX in Gangnam, featuring over 130 galleries from 30 countries worldwide.
Market attention is focused on whether this year will see a new record for sales. Last year, Hauser & Wirth sold American artist Mark Bradford's large triptych painting "Okay, then I apologize" (2025) for $4.5 million (approximately 6.3 billion won at the time), marking the highest price for a single artwork since the fair's inception in 2022.
Major galleries have brought high-value works again this year. Gagosian is presenting a solo exhibition featuring the works of British contemporary artist Damien Hirst. His large-scale retrospective at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which concluded in June, attracted 500,000 visitors, highlighting significant public interest. The exhibition includes key series such as "Pill Cabinets," "Spin Paintings," "Spot Paintings," and "Treasures."
Kusama's works are another highlight of this year's Frieze Seoul. Ota Fine Arts is centering its presentation around Kusama's self-portrait "Portrait Yayoi-Chan" (2014). Kusama passed away at the age of 97 on August 14 in Tokyo. Given that this major international art fair is taking place shortly after her death, it is expected to provide insights into the future pricing of her works. Her 2015 piece "Pumpkin (MBOK)" sold for 10.45 billion won at a Seoul auction in March, setting a new record for domestic auction sales.
Hauser & Wirth, which set the highest price record last year, is also showcasing works by renowned artists. The gallery will present Jenny Holzer's new gilded work "PROFORMA" (2026), along with Louise Bourgeois's "Untitled" (1998) and Lee Lozano's "Cram" (1965).
At Pace Gallery, visitors can see a new oval glass installation by James Turrell, known as the "artist of light," alongside a 1992 painting by Emily Kame Kngwarreye and previously unseen sculptures and paintings by Anicka Yi.
Major works by Korean masters are also on display. White Cube is featuring "Ecriture No. 221121" (2022), one of the last works created by Park Seo-Bo. Gallery Hyundai is showcasing Kim Chang-Yeol's "Water Droplet" painting and works by Lee Seung-taek, a pioneer of Korean avant-garde sculpture. International Gallery is presenting a range of Korean and Korean-American artists, including Ha Chong-hyun, Kim Yoon-sik, Yang Hae-kyu, Byron Kim, and Gala Porras-Kim.
Art exhibitions and fairs across Seoul are notably interconnected. Lehmann Maupin is hosting a solo presentation of works by Seo Do-ho, who currently has a major solo exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Thaddaeus Ropac is showcasing works by Lee Kang-soo, who is holding a solo exhibition at the Lotte Museum, and Georg Baselitz, whose retrospective is taking place at the Sehwa Art Museum. Johyun Gallery is featuring a solo presentation of sculptures by Lee Bae, who is hosting a large-scale solo exhibition at the Wonju Museum San.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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