You’re a 20-Year-Old Art History Student During Frieze Week

Téa Henry takes us to the parties and presentations happening beyond art’s most buzzy event.

It’s a glamorous circus of buyers, collectors, curators, and self-proclaimed connoisseurs. Two events that overlap: Frieze London, showcasing the best emerging talent of today, and Frieze Masters, which allows us to rediscover masterpieces by artists like Man Ray and Lucio Fontana. But London hosts numerous art exhibitions beyond the main fairs, so much so that these Frieze moments feel like just a smattering of what London’s art world has to offer.

I am in my last year of studying Art History at The Courtauld, and I got into art through studying the subject at school. Growing up in London, I always wanted to go into town and make a day out of going to museums and galleries with friends. Now, when I travel somewhere new, that’s the first thought on my mind. I get the Frieze hype: My first experience going there was with my best friend when I was 17, and I quickly realised how overwhelming it was, as well as how underdressed it makes you feel.

So with that in mind I decided to spend my chaotic London Art Week going a little off-piste, checking out contemporary activations, 19th and 20th century painters, furniture, and perfume. And a house party, of course.