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A 68-million-year-old Triceratops skull may not be the first thing you find at an art fair, but at Frieze Masters, the extraordinary is the norm.
The fossil, discovered in Montana and offered by David Aaron Gallery, sold for £650,000 on the first day. “It’s beautifully preserved,” says gallery director Salomon Aron. “”Such specimens are also sold to individuals. Often people come from technology or science fields. People who want to live with dinosaur fossils or people who want to collect dinosaur fossils. ”
If dinosaurs don’t fit in your living room, how about an early masterpiece by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens? The portrait on Salomon Lillian’s stand, valued at around $10 million (8.6 million euros), captures the artist’s charm with his masculine form.
“An artist’s early works are never seen in a market like this,” says gallery owner Salomon Lillian. “And by early works, I mean 100% painted by Rubens alone, because when he was young, he didn’t have a studio.”
This event is a rare fusion of ancient and modern works, where marble busts, Egyptian sarcophagi and modern textiles coexist.
Freeze Masters will be held at Regent’s Park in London until October 19th. For an inside look at the fair, watch the video in the web player above.