At this year’s Frieze London, celebrity spotting was practically an art form of its own.
Among the collectors and critics, it was Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mick Jagger who drew the biggest crowds–each blending seamlessly into the high-gloss chaos of the UK’s most star-studded art fair.
Madonna, wrapped in a long black trench and wide-leg trousers, made the rounds with Robert Diament from Carl Freedman Gallery, reportedly deep in conversation about contemporary works.
“She was lively, engaged, clearly passionate about the art,” one insider said. No surprise there—the Queen of Pop’s art-world credibility runs deep, and her sharp eye matched the fair’s bold energy.
View this post on Instagram
Meanwhile, DiCaprio–mask, cap, and all–did his usual art-fair stealth mode before being spotted chatting openly with artist Michelangelo Pistoletto about the Renaissance and Piero della Francesca’s The Flagellation of Christ. Classic Leo: one minute buying dinosaur bones, the next, unpacking 14th-century symbolism.
View this post on Instagram
But the real headline moment came from the sales floor. A collaborative Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol painting fetched a cool $6 million via Vito Schnabel’s gallery at Frieze Masters–a nod to the enduring power of that chaotic, downtown ‘80s energy that birthed both icons.
Elsewhere, works by Magritte, Klee and Duchamp all cleared the million-dollar mark, proving that despite global jitters, the art market’s pulse still beats strong–especially when the front row looks like a Grammys afterparty.
Even a newly single, beaming Lily Allen was spotted chatting to Jack Guinness at a VIP collectors’ dinner, as Mick Jagger, Claudia Schiffer and Lennon Gallagher added to the swirl of fashion-meets-fine-art glamour.
It’s safe to say, that Frieze 2025 went off – and with Madonna leaning in to inspect a Warhol, it’s hard not to feel that full-circle thrill: icons appreciating icons.
