The Financial Times publishes The Secret Agent who spills the beans on the lives of the Super-rich. This week, were tagging along to Frieze parties:
On the opening day of Frieze, when I could only spare an hour to scout, I spotted a couple of Russian oligarchs, three North American billionaires, Tom Ford, a sprinkling of other celebrities and a lot of runners, all circling the big-hitters. The money is guarded fiercely by a wall of advisers-as-human-shields, while the amount of hot air that ricochets around the art scene is staggering. It is everything to do with names and status and nothing to do with love of art, or so it seems. There’s a palpable desire to acquire the latest wunderkinder – although how these wunderkinder are determined is a curious process and seems to have little to do with artistic merit. I wonder whether the oligarchs even care where the “wunders” will be next year? There’s so much money swilling about that while the “clever art” (that which doubles in value) may remain on the wall, the majority can be consigned to a Moscow basement. The increasing global disparity of wealth is disconcerting to witness.
Hot Air Amid Frieze Fair (Financial Times)
