Frieze For Sale: Endeavor Ex-CEO Ari Emanuel to Buy Brand in $200m Deal

Art fair and media business Frieze will soon have a new parent company, with current owners Endeavor today announcing a $200m deal has been struck with former CEO Ari Emanuel.

Emanuel, a co-founder of Endeavor, stepped down as Endeavor’s CEO following the acquisition of the company by private equity firm Silver Lake for $25 billion.

But now the famed Hollywood businessman may soon be managing the brand once more.

The Financial Times reports the American businessman bought Frieze for ‘nearly $200 million’, citing people with knowledge of the transaction. While terms have not been disclosed, the deal will likely conclude in the third quarter of this year.

The acquisition includes Frieze’s seven art fairs—including the upcoming Frieze New York (7–11 May 2025)—the Frieze magazine, and its gallery at No.9 Cork Street in London.

‘Frieze has always been a source of inspiration for me—both professionally and personally,’ Emanuel said in a statement, commending the ambition and strength of the staff.

He said the company is ‘well positioned for further growth’, adding the Frieze brand will represent ‘a strategic cornerstone in our new global events platform’.

Emanuel’s new, still-unnamed events company will be backed by investors like Apollo Global Management Inc. and RedBird Capital Partners, according to Bloomberg.

Frieze Chief Executive Simon Fox expressed confidence in the sale, which he said marks an exciting new chapter for Frieze.

‘With the support of new ownership, we’re well placed to accelerate our creativity, collaboration, and growth,’ he said. —[O]

Main image: Matthew Marks at Frieze New York (1–5 May 2024). Courtesy Frieze and CKA. Photo: Casey Kelbaugh.