Kristell Chadé Outlines Frieze's Multipolar Strategy Ahead of Abu Dhabi Launch
Kristell Chadé has been at the helm of Frieze's international art fairs since 2021, collaborating with CEO Simon Fox and Ari Emanuel, who acquired Frieze from Endeavor in May 2025 through the Mari Group. Having joined Frieze in 2012 after her tenure at Fiac, Chadé is focused on qualitative success rather than purely sales metrics. With the opening of Frieze Abu Dhabi in November, the portfolio anticipates nearly 1,050 gallery participations across eight fairs by 2026. The Abu Dhabi fair is organized in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. While London remains the flagship event, the U.S. is the largest market, and there are no plans for acquisitions in France.
Key facts
- Kristell Chadé has headed all Frieze fairs since 2021, working with CEO Simon Fox and Ari Emanuel of the Mari Group
- Mari Group acquired Frieze from Endeavor in May 2025
- Frieze Abu Dhabi opens in November, bringing the portfolio to nearly 1,050 gallery participations across eight fairs on three continents in 2026
- The figure is comparable to MCH Group's five Art Basel editions
- Chadé joined Frieze in 2012 as exhibitor relations manager after experience at the Fiac
- Frieze Abu Dhabi is a partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, building on Abu Dhabi Art's seventeen-year history
- Frieze London and Frieze Masters remain the flagships guiding the global trajectory
- Four of Frieze's eight fairs are linked to the United States, the world's largest art market by value
- No acquisition project is planned in France
Entities
Artists
- Kristell Chadé
- Simon Fox
- Ari Emanuel
- Monique Frydman
Institutions
- Frieze
- Mari Group
- Endeavor
- Fiac
- MCH Group
- Art Basel
- Abu Dhabi Art
- Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
- Armory Show
- Expo Chicago
- Grenoble-École de management
- Iesa
- Le Journal des Arts
- Galerie Dutko
- Galerie Sadie Coles HQ
Locations
- United Kingdom
- London
- Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates
- France
- Paris
- United States
- Grenoble
- Grand Palais
- Chicago