Gucci has long been an advocate for the arts. In its Fifth Avenue New York store, only the most exclusive of clients would be presented with a leather-wrapped brass key that led to Gucci’s Galleria. Accessible only by a crystal elevator, the private exhibition first came to be in 1977 in Beverly Hills, before being brought to the Big Apple in 1980, and was the inspiration of none other than Aldo Gucci – son of the luxury fashion house founder Guccio Gucci.
Since then, the brand has embraced artistic influences and opportunities, continually working alongside artists on creative projects such as #GucciGram, Gucci Art Walls and Gucci Artist in Residence, to name but a few.
Currently at the helm, Sabato De Sarno continues to stoke the artistic flames of the brands at Gucci’s Cruise 2025 show, which was held at London’s Tate Modern, transforming Herzog & de Meuron’s subterranean tanks into a botanical frame for the collection.
It is no wonder, then, that as Frieze Week arrives in London (9-13 October), Gucci is at the forefront with art-inspired flags that will soar across Bond Street. From Piccadilly to Oxford Street, the flags will showcase Gucci’s creative spirit by displaying selected artworks from its Art Program, exhibited in the Gucci New Bond Street store.
Fittingly, the Italian house’s Mayfair outpost was originally designed as a venue for one of the world’s oldest art dealers. The Grade II-listed former art gallery, built in 1913, not only houses curated collections of women’s ready-to-wear, handbags and fine jewellery, but is the setting for a selection of works by emerging talent and recognised artists alike, with the latest curation exploring the lineages of craftsmanship and a focus on monumentalism and minimalism. The art installation even creates a space of dialogue between London-based creatives and Italian masters, echoing Gucci’s longstanding ties to the UK capital (before founding the brand, Guccio Gucci worked as a luggage porter at The Savoy).
Just steps away from the creative world of Gucci, the 21st edition of Frieze London will be held in Regent’s Park, debuting a new approach to one of the world’s most influential art fairs.
‘Visitors this year will find the fair reimagined, with solo presentations and emerging artists front and centre, in a demonstration of Frieze’s commitment to the most exciting art being made today,’ says director of Frieze London, Eva Langret. ‘Our new layout also features more spots for conversation and exchange. These changes promise fresh experiences and new perspectives.’
Focusing on contemporary art, Frieze London 2024 will feature more than 160 galleries from across 43 countries and showcases a new floorplan by London-based studio A Studio Between. Giving greater visibility to new voices and the fair’s Artist-to-Artist, Smoke (this year’s themed section organised by Hammer Museum curator Pablo José Ramírez), Focus and Editions sections, the redesigned layout and programme promises a new perspective.
Highlights include Carol Bove’s crumpled steel sculptures at Gagosian and Charles Gaines at Hauser & Wirth with the return of his Shadows series for the first time since 1980.
Alongside Frieze London, Frieze Masters will take place between 9-13 October and Frieze Sculpture runs until 27 October.
And if that wasn’t enough, there is a wealth of opportunities to explore exclusive exhibitions, on for a limited time only in Mayfair. Claridge’s ArtSpace is the setting of Daria Blum’s (winner of Claridge’s Royal Academy Schools Art Prize) debut exhibition Drip Drip Point Warp Spin Buckle Rot. Drawing on ballet-inspired movement, Blum’s installation is multi-sensory with immersive video, evocative dialogue, sculpture and photographs. Open until 25 October, the latest exhibit regularly hosts live performances for a more interactive experience.
See the flags on Bond Street and discover Gucci’s latest collections at Gucci, 144-146 New Bond Street, W1S 2PF