Frieze hires an auction house operator
Frieze has named Frank Lasry as its new chief operating officer, a hire that signals the fair network is beefing up operational leadership ahead of the busy 2026 season. Lasry joins in June and brings senior Christie’s experience across Paris, London, Dubai and Hong Kong, which suggests Frieze will emphasize global fair logistics and cross‑market coordination. For collectors and galleries, a COO with auction‑house chops often means tighter programming and more curated VIP experiences. (fadmagazine.com)
Frieze just hired a chief operating officer from the machinery-heavy side of the art trade, not the editorial side. On April 7, 2026, the fair company said Frank Lasry will join in June and report to chief executive Simon Fox. (frieze.com) Lasry’s résumé is built around moving expensive art, people, and sales teams across cities that run on different calendars and client lists. Frieze said he spent more than 20 years in leadership roles across auction houses, art fairs, and galleries. (frieze.com) His first big stretch was at Christie’s, where he held senior posts in Paris, London, Dubai, and Hong Kong before becoming chief operating officer in London. That is the kind of job where shipping, staffing, client hosting, and sale-week timing all have to work at once. (frieze.com) He then moved to Phillips as chief operating officer for Europe and Asia, which put him over operations in London, Paris, Geneva, and Hong Kong. Later, he spent five years at Art Basel and helped launch Art Basel Paris, whose first edition opened in 2022. (artnews.com) Most recently, Lasry was chief operating officer at Perrotin, the gallery group with nine locations worldwide. A gallery network like that runs more like an airline than a boutique when it is coordinating fairs, exhibitions, consignments, and collectors across continents. (artnews.com) Frieze is not making this hire in a quiet year. Its 2026 calendar already spans Los Angeles from February 26 to March 1, New York from May 13 to 17, Seoul from September 2 to 5, and London and Frieze Masters from October 14 to 18. (frieze.com 1) (frieze.com 2) (frieze.com 3) That schedule means one company is effectively running several temporary cities for art buyers in a single year. Each fair needs booths built on time, artworks cleared through customs, and top collectors routed through preview days without friction. (frieze.com 1) (frieze.com 2) The ownership backdrop also changed recently. In May 2025, Ari Emanuel bought Frieze from Endeavor, the entertainment company that had first taken a 70 percent stake in 2016 and completed full ownership in 2023. (variety.com) (observer.com) So this is a management choice as much as an art-world one. A new owner, a packed 2026 fair calendar, and a chief operating officer who has worked at Christie’s, Phillips, Art Basel, and Perrotin point to a Frieze that wants fewer bottlenecks and tighter coordination at the top end of the market. (variety.com) (frieze.com)
