El Anatsui $2.2 million sale at Frieze

Artsy reported on May 14 that White Cube sold El Anatsui’s “LuwVor I” for $2.2 million at Frieze New York, the highest reported transaction in the fair’s opening-day sales roundup. The report said White Cube also sold another 2025 Anatsui work, “MivEvi III,” for $1.9 million during the VIP opening period. Frieze New York opened its 15th edition at The Shed on May 13 and runs through May 17, according to Frieze and The Shed. ### Which work sold for $2.2 million, and who sold it? White Cube sold El Anatsui’s “LuwVor I” (2025) for $2.2 million, according to Artsy’s May 14 market report. Artsy identified the work as the top reported sale during the fair’s opening-day trading. Artsy said White Cube also placed “MivEvi III” (2025) for $1.9 million. (artsy.net) Surface magazine separately reported those two Anatsui sales, along with other White Cube transactions including an Antony Gormley sculpture priced at £450,000 and a Howardena Pindell work at $275,000. ### Why did this sale stand out on the first day? (artsy.net) The $2.2 million figure stood above the other prices listed in Artsy’s opening-day sales report. Artsy said Thaddaeus Ropac sold Georg Baselitz’s “Stunde der Nachtigall” (2012) for €1.4 million, or about $1.63 million, while Almine Rech sold a James Turrell light work valued between $900,000 and $1 million. (artsy.net) Artnews also reported seven-figure sales across the fair’s VIP day, describing brisk activity before and during the opening hours at The Shed. That broader sales context put White Cube’s two Anatsui placements at the top end of the first-day market. ### Who is El Anatsui in this market context? (artsy.net) El Anatsui is a Ghanaian-born sculptor whose work has long circulated through major galleries, museums and private collections. Jack Shainman Gallery says the artist was born in 1944 in Anyako, Ghana, and lives and works in Nsukka, Nigeria, and Tema, Ghana. October Gallery says it has represented Anatsui since 1993, while Jack Shainman maintains an artist page for him in New York. (artnews.com) His official website describes him as a Ghanaian sculptor known internationally for bottle-top installations and other large-scale assemblages. ### What else did Artsy single out at the fair? Artsy published a separate May 14 list of its five best booths at Frieze New York 2026. (jackshainman.com) That article highlighted presentations from galleries including Karma, Perrotin and A Gentil Carioca. Artsy said Frieze New York opened its VIP day on May 13 after the Venice Biennale’s opening week, placing the fair in the middle of a crowded spring calendar for collectors, advisers and dealers. (octobergallery.co.uk) The publication’s fair page says Frieze New York 2026 includes partner galleries such as Mendes Wood DM, Gallery Hyundai and Thaddaeus Ropac. (artsy.net) ### How big is this year’s Frieze New York edition? The Shed says Frieze New York 2026 runs from May 13 to May 17 in Manhattan. Its event page says the fair features more than 65 galleries. Surface and Artnews both described the opening as active, with dealers reporting presales and early placements before the VIP preview was fully underway. (artsy.net) Those reports did not change the ranking Artsy gave the Anatsui transaction among the prices it published on May 14. Frieze New York remains open through May 17 at The Shed, according to the venue’s official program page. (theshed.org) Artsy’s fair page continues to list exhibitors and works online as the event proceeds. (surfacemag.com)