October 13, 2026 |
Every October, Frieze Week turns London into one huge art-tastic fiesta. Collectors descend on Regent’s Park for Frieze London and Frieze Masters, where galleries display their most ambitious shows, whilst elsewhere in the city, restaurants, private members’ clubs and fashion houses capitalise on the buzz and get in on the action. Its both this on and off-site programming, which spans artist takeovers, unexpected collaborations and pop-up exhibitions, which offer a useful snapshot of what’s capturing the cultural imagination. So, consider this your guide to the art worth seeking out across the week, whether you have a collector’s budget or simply impeccable taste and comfortable shoes. Mateo Carmona
A Composition: Cerith Wyn Evans and JW Anderson, in partnership with American Express Platinum
Since he was a student Jonathan Anderson has long treated the art world as a source of boundless inspiration. For Frieze Week, he brings that sensibility to A Composition, an exhibition at JW Anderson’s Pimlico Road Store. In partnership with American Express Platinum, the show brings together makers, designers, artists and longstanding collaborators from Anderson’s creative orbit. A highlight is a stunning glass work by Welsh conceptual artist Cerith Wyn Evans, whose intricate installations play around with perception and light. Rather than keeping fashion and art in their respective corners, expect an exhibition that brings all of Anderson’s interests together. Open to the public from October 15 to 21, the show offers a glimpse of the designer’s creative world assembled in one space. On October 14, an exclusive preview will take place for Platinum Cardmembers. MC
Corbin Shaw’s Feast Of Fools At The Groucho Club
The Groucho Club has long been a Soho institution for the culturally conscious and connected. That takes on a slightly different form this Frieze week, with artist Corbin Shaw is bringing a little anarchy into its inner circles. Feast of Fools, a group exhibition and public installation curated by Shaw, takes over the club’s Dean Street awning and Carter Room, inviting a new generation of artists to the space, with the likes of Alex Morante, Doron Beuns, Jett Sacher, Lily Bunney, Tegan Chinogurei and more on display, alongside Shaw himself. Its title refers to a medieval tradition where hierarchies were temporarily overturned, setting up the space to be a framework for questions about who gets access to the art world, who decides who belongs and what has value. The Sheffield-born, London-based artist delves into Englishness, masculinity and class through his paintings, sculpture and textiles. Opening on October 13, this project is also the debut of Spark, Groucho’s new initiative supporting emerging creatives. Public access is available each Saturday afternoon until mid-November. MC
Annabel’s And Philip Colbert
At Annabel’s, Frieze Week comes with a side of lobster. British artist Philip Colbert, whose Pop Art universe is loaded with his signature lobster alter ego, takes over the Berkeley Square members’ club from October 12 to 18. Throughout the building you’ll be able to find his installations, from large-scale work at Reception, Rose Room and the Garden. Colbert’s work is gloriously maximalist, drawing on consumer culture, art history and the hallucinatory possibilities of a crustacean protagonist. Annabel’s famously extravagant interiors make a fitting collaboration. The Lobster theme continues at the table, too, with a limited-edition lobster and champagne menu including lobster rolls, lobster avocado tacos, popcorn lobster, paired with rare champagne. Art, naturally, is best enjoyed with refreshments. MC
De Beer’s Voyage Through the Diamond Realm At Frieze Masters
This Frieze Week, De Beers invites you to take a closer look at the origins of diamonds. Entitled Voyage Through the Diamond Realm and hosted at Frieze Masters, the immersive experience dives into the origins of natural diamonds across three chapters. From the cosmos to the formation of our planet and life itself, it follows the natural processes behind these stories, switching our focus from the finished product to the process and story that came before it. Offering us a chance to look deeper and beyond the splendour and get to grips with what makes natural diamonds so alluring. MC
Olaolu Slawn’s Crane Painting
Olaolu Slawn, the London-based artist, takes his irreverent, cartoonish style to new heights (quite literally) at Doon Streetcar Park on the South Bank, courtesy of Saatchi Yates. Trading gallery walls for cars, cranes, and open-air spectacle, Slawn will create large-scale works through a live painting performance, replacing his usual studio with a makeshift studio on an industrial site. Expect oversized gestures, spray paint and a healthy disregard for convention. The event takes place tomorrow between 2-6pm. MC
Sessions Arts Club’s Pilgrimage
As some may know, Frieze Week can be a bit of a marathon, so Sessions Arts Club offers a different pace and a change of scenery. Returning to Frieze London in Regent’s Park from October 14 to 18, the restaurant presents Pilgrimage, a thrilling project hatched by founder Johny Gent and his creative studio, Cabin Studio. Galvanised by ancient spiritual journeys and sunset paintings, the installation walks us through music, art, design and food, with contributions from Faye Toogood, Completedworks and musician Hinako Omori. Central to it sits a 75-seat restaurant serving a seasonal menu by acting head chef Fenella Brereton. MC
TIFFANY AND CO. RETURNS TO FRIEZE LONDON’S ARTIST-ARTIST PROGRAMME
Tiffany & Co. returns as brand partner of Frieze London’s Artist-to-Artist programme for a second year, with seven solo presentations in which established artists nominate emerging ones. Gala Porras-Kim picks Jorge Gonzalez, Yinka Shonibare picks Unathi Mkonto, Jeffrey Gibson picks Caroline Monnet and Louise Giovanelli picks Paul Robas, among others. The house, founded in 1837, has long given artists a platform, from Gene Moore’s windows with Rauschenberg and Johns to commissions with Damien Hirst and Daniel Arsham. The programme will be available to view at the Regent’s Park spot between October 14 and 18. TP
STUDIO IRON’S SEVERE MERCY
Isamaya Ffrench‘s Studio Iron will exhibit the work of British-American photographer, artist and director Robin Hunter-Blake at The Painting Rooms in Soho for an exhibition entitled Severe Mercy. Across photography, film and art, the display offers a closer look at Hunter-Blake’s practice, opening to the public on October 14. For those looking to step away from the fair’s familiar circuit and immerse themselves in a practice exploring memory, perception and time, it’s an essential add to your Frieze schedule. MC
Kindred At The Newman Hotel With Minor Attractions
The record shop, book shop and radio station Kindred is taking over Room 01 in The Newman Hotel in Fitzrovia with their art-and-sound sensibility to Minor Attractions from October 13 to 17 to celebrate Frieze. Bringing in five different artists – Felix Butterwick, Eva Delaney, Salvi De Sena, Jake Walker and Scarlet Griffiths – the group, who practice a range of different mediums from sculpture and painting to drawing and sound work, will take over some sculpture work, some paintings and others drawing and sound. On October 16, Kindred will also take over the fair’s radio broadcast hub, with DJ sets from DVD, Temz, Angelkin, Jake Walker and Scar. MC
Bobbi’s Bar’s New Drink
Frieze Week calls for a decent aperitivo, and Bobbi’s Bar has just the ticket. Stationed inside the new St. Clement Hotel, the bar will be welcoming an Italian takeover from Federico Morosi who spent 15 years behind Hotel Il Pellicano’s famed Bar All’Aperto. To mark the occasion, Morosi has crafted a new cocktail for Bobbi’s – a Pellicano take on the Bobbi’s Martini, served throughout the residency, which will be taking place across the week. MC
Top Image: Courtesy of Corbin Shaw.
