Before I lived in New York, I worked at a gallery and was an art advisor in Los Angeles. With the art fairs coming up this week, I’ve received a lot of questions from collectors asking about what to expect and look out for. Frieze (Los Angeles) and Felix launched in 2019, and Frieze will take place in a new location this year (9900 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, adjacent to The Beverly Hilton hotel). Here are some questions I've received and feel free to email me any other questions.
What is Los Angeles Art Fair week?
Next week there are a few art fairs, two of which I strongly recommend attending: Frieze and Felix. Frieze has over 100 galleries and Felix has 60 galleries from around the world. Frieze is in Beverly Hills and Felix is in Hollywood.
When and how do I attend?
The fairs open on Thursday, February 17th until Sunday, February 20th. I recommend allotting a few hours at each fair, at least, and keep in mind Felix is on three different floors of the hotel, so allow for time traveling throughout. You can buy tickets online: for Frieze can be found here and for Felix here. If you already work with galleries, you can always ask if they have additional tickets.
What should I wear?
Smart, chic attire. People will be wearing a wide range of attire—I always like to slightly dress up, but I almost always wear sneakers (it’s a lot of walking!). Also, I always bring a sweater or light jacket because even if it's hot outside, the AC is always blasting inside. Bring a light handbag as they usually don’t allow backpacks (though there usually is a coat check).
Where should I stay?
There are lots of hotels I recommend that are in-between the fairs: the West Hollywood Edition, Petit Ermitage, 1 Hotel West Hollywood, Sunset Tower, and Chateau Marmont are all great options.
Where should I eat and drink near the fairs?
They usually serve food and drink at the fairs, but I recommend the following for a nice dinner, lunch or drink:
Near Frieze:
The Rooftop by JG on top of the Waldorf Astoria: 9850 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (5 minute walk)
Wally's Beverly Hills: 447 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (20 minute walk - 5 minute drive)
Greek at Avra: 233 N Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (20 minute walk - 5 minute drive)
Italian at Il Pastaio: 400 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (20 minute walk - 5 minute drive)
SUGARFISH by sushi nozawa: 212 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (20 minute walk, 5 minute drive)
Near Felix:
Musso & Frank Grill: 6667 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028 (5 minute walk)
Jones: 7205 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046 (5 minute drive)
Mama Shelter:6500 Selma Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028 (14 minute walk, 5 minute drive)
Osteria Mozza: 6602 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038 (8 minute drive)
In-between:
Cecconi's: 8764 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Jon & Vinnys Fairfax: 412 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Gracias Madre: 8905 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Craig's: 8826 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Zinque: 8684 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90048
Catch LA:8715 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Chateau Marmont: 8221 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Tower Bar: 8358 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Ysabel: 945 N Fairfax Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90046
What booths or artworks do you recommend at each fair?
Follow my Instagram to see the top highlights from each fair @rachelcoleartadvisory.
What Los Angeles-based gallery shows should I see while I’m in town?
I recommend downloading the SeeSaw app to see all the galleries in Los Angeles and exhibitions. However, my top picks that can’t be missed are:
Jonas Wood at David Kordanksy (5130 W Edgewood Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90019)
Ruth Ice at Roberts Projects (5801 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232)
Robert Nava at Night Gallery (2276 E 16th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021)
Heidi Hahn at Kohn Gallery (1227 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038)
Poppy Jones at Mrs. Gallery/OCHI Projects (3301 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018)
Jeff Wall at Gagosian (4357 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 and 456 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, California 90210)
Sayre Gomez at Francois Ghebaly (456 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, California 90210)
Dominique Fung at Nicodim Gallery (1700 S Santa Fe Ave #160, Los Angeles, CA 90021)
Luncheon on the grass (group show) at Jeffrey Deitch (925 N Orange Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90038)
What Los Angeles-based museums or museum shows should I go see?
Hammer Museum (10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024) On view: Ulysses Jenkins: Without your interpretation (Feb 6–May 15, 2022), Hammer Projects: Ho Tzu Nyen (Jan 23–May 8, 2022), Hammer Projects: noé olivas (Jan 15–May 8, 2022)
MOCA (250 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012) On view:Pipilotti Rist: Big Heartedness, Be My Neighbor (Sept 2021-June 6, 2022), Jennifer Packer: Every Shut Eye Ain’t Sleep (July 2021-Feb 20, 2022), Evidence: Selections from the Permanent Collection (July 2021-Feb 20, 2022), Making Space: Recent Photography Acquisitions (July 2021-Feb 20, 2022)
LACMA (5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036) On view: Mixpantli: Contemporary Echoes (Dec-June 12, 2022), Black American Portraits (Nov-April 17 2022), Modern art collection (permanent collection)
The Broad (221 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012) On view: Expansive presentation of Andy Warhol, Expansive presentation of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Expansive presentation of Christopher Wool, Expansive presentation of Kara Walker, Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms, Since Unveiling:Selected acquisitions of a decade (Nov-April 3, 2022)