Frieze chief says London and Paris art fairs can feed off each other

The chief executive of London's Frieze art fair has dismissed the idea that his exhibition is in a battle with Art Basel Paris.

- Lanre Bakare

Simon Fox says the two events could create a “Barbenheimer moment” for collectors this October despite a slump in the art market.

He told the Guardian that Frieze, which opens tomorrow in Regent's Park, can benefit from having strong competition on its doorstep and replicate the mutual success of the films Barbie and Oppenheimer in 2023.

Fox said: "It's very convenient for collectors who can come to London, spend a weekend here and then go on to Paris. It makes for a Barbenheimer moment."

Since launching in 2003, Frieze London has become a key destination in the global art fair circuit. Art Basel Paris opened in 2022 and has grown each year. This year the Gerhard Richter show at the Fondation Louis Vuitton opens during Frieze, with one gallerist saying it felt as if Paris was parking its "tanks on the lawn".