‘Greater balance and fairness’ in stand pricing brings diverse galleries to Frieze London – The Art Newspaper

Last year, Frieze London made a Robin Hood-style overhaul of its pricing structure. Where once there was a flat fee across the main section of the fair (£524 per sq. m in 2021), in 2024 tiers were introduced so that those who took the largest booths paid the most per square metre.

Prices this year ranged from £658 per sq. m for an “XXL” stand, between 110 sq. m and 130 sq. m, down to £582 per sq. m for the smallest booths of between 30 sq. m and 50 sq. m. Prices at Frieze Masters remain the same across all sections and sizes, at £732 per sq. m (it was £631 per sq. m in 2021).

“We introduced the new pricing structure in 2024, alongside the new floorplan, and the idea was to encourage a more diverse range of galleries,” says Frieze’s executive director of fairs Kristell Chadé. “It was also a way of allowing galleries that had been in the Focus section to make the step up into the main section, which we know can be challenging financially, so lowering the cost of our smaller booths was a way of doing that.”

The fee for Frieze London’s subsidised Focus section for young galleries reduced from £338 per sq. m in 2021 to £276 per sq. m in 2025.

This year, three galleries that were in Focus have joined the main section for the first time—London’s Soft Opening, Livia Benavides from Lima and PM8 / Francisco Salas from Vigo in northern Spain. “It’s important for us to support those galleries and find a way for them to sustainably continue to participate in the fair,” Chadé says.

“Moving from the Focus section into the main Galleries section this year feels like a significant but natural milestone for us,” says Antonia Marsh, the founder of Soft Opening. “It’s a substantial investment, but one we’ve been building towards for some time. We’re grateful to Frieze for their support in offering us a smaller booth in such a prominent position at the front of the fair, which makes this transition feel both sustainable and symbolic of the gallery’s growth.”

Since 2023, the fashion brand Stone Island has given a bursary to Focus galleries, further reducing their stand costs, and as of this year, the jewellery brand Tiffany & Co. does the same for galleries in the Artist-to-Artist section. “Each gallery receives the same amount,” a Frieze spokesperson says, though they declined to disclose the amount.

Pricing across the Focus section has adjusted slightly this year, however. While a 30 sq. m stand is now £8,280 (down from £9,390 in 2024), the prices for Focus Solo 25 (a solo artist in a 25 sq. m stand) and Dual 25 (two artists in a 25 sq. m stand) have risen, from £5,900 in 2024 to £6,750 in 2025.

“While some stands will see a modest increase—for example, a 25 sq. m stand rising by £850—others will benefit from a reduction, such as a 30 sq. m stand decreasing by £1,110, ensuring greater balance and fairness across the section as a whole,” the Frieze spokesperson says.