Everyone's a winner, baby: prizes abound during Frieze London

"As public funding dwindles, the number of prizes and awards for institutional acquisitions continue to proliferate during Frieze week. The Tate Frieze Fund, which this year is supported by an individual private patron, offers a team of Tate curators early access to the fair and a budget of £150,000 to purchase works for Tate's collection. The two works acquired are both by mid-career, UK-based women artists hitherto not owned by Tate."

"Winning double Alex Margo Arden, who is showing an arresting conglomeration of former museum mannequins lashed together with a length of rope at Ginny on Frederick in the Focus section, is the first recipient of the inaugural Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation Prize. This new award, which "aims to highlight practices that challenge commercialisation and display within the context of the fair", offers £10,000 to be shared by the winning artist and their gallery as well as a special commission for the foundation's library."

"Arden's mannequin mash-up, Accounts (2025), is also among the works selected by the Arts Council Frieze Acquisitions Fund, which this year has grown to £90,000. Other works purchased from Frieze for the Arts Council Collection are Petros (2025) by Sarah Ball from Stephen Friedmann; A Touch Up by Olu Ogunnnaike from Hollybush Gardens; and works by Vanessa Raw from Carl Freedma"

As public funding dwindles, prizes and acquisition awards proliferate during Frieze week. The Tate Frieze Fund, backed this year by an individual patron, provided Tate curators with early access and a £150,000 purchase budget. Tate acquired two works by mid-career UK-based women not previously in the collection: Lubna Chowdhary's Assemble (2025), a large commanding ceramic, and Barbara Walker's life-sized drawing The End of the Affair (2025), depicting a woman with a dead swan. The inaugural Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation Prize awarded Alex Margo Arden £10,000 shared with the gallery plus a commission. The Arts Council Frieze Acquisitions Fund, increased to £90,000, purchased multiple works including Arden's Accounts (2025).

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