The Frieze Art Fair opens in London on Thursday and ends Sunday.
The annual jamboree brings the art world together for the week, and has spawned an industry of imitation events, exhibitions, gallery openings and auctions.
Following are details of some of the shows and sales being held in London this week to coincide with Frieze.
1. FRIEZE ART FAIR
- Tens of thousands of visitors will pour into the giant marquee in Regent's Park as they do every year.
The 170 or so galleries are displaying art worth an estimated $350 million, and, since fairs are at least partly about buying and selling, the broader economic climate is a concern for participants.
The 9th edition of the show features new architects this year and those rushed off their feet can keep up by visiting Frieze Virtual on their iPads and iPhones.
2. TATE MODERN
- The converted power station on the River Thames boasts two major attractions for art lovers this week.
British artist Tacita Dean displays her work "Film" in the cavernous Turbine Hall as part of the annual Unilever series. The 11-minute silent film projected on to the back of the darkened space is a tribute to film, which she believes is under threat from the rise of digital technology.
In the same building, a blockbuster retrospective of German artist Gerhard Richter's career fills 14 rooms and contains many of his most acclaimed works. "Gerhard Richter: Panorama" has won rave reviews from critics, who have praised the 79-year-old's variety of styles and media.
3. PAVILION OF ART & DESIGN
- The fair in Berkeley Square has sprung up in direct response to Frieze, and attracts top-quality works which this year include a Marc Chagall painting never displayed publicly before (and valued in the millions of pounds) and works by Roy Lichtenstein and Joan Miro.
4. NEW GALLERIES
- Frieze provides an opportunity to showcase new galleries, and, despite global economic woes, there are some high-profile launches this year.
- White Cube opens its third major London space on October 12. The new gallery in Bermondsey is a refurbished warehouse and the opening exhibition is entitled "Structure & Absence" and features works by artists including Andreas Gursky, Gabriel Orozco and Damien Hirst.
- "Ordovas" is a gallery recently opened by Pilar Ordovas, a former executive at Christie's who oversaw some of the biggest sales in the art market in recent years. She aims to combine dealing privately in 20th century and contemporary art and staging museum-quality exhibitions. Her first, open now, examines the relationship between Francis Bacon and Dutch master Rembrandt.
5. CHRISTIE'S
The auction house holds its main sale of the week Friday. It includes Richter's "Candle," which at 6-9 million pounds is expected to be the most valuable work of art sold in London during Frieze. Christie's is also staging an exhibition at its King Street headquarters featuring some of the star lots to go under the hammer in New York later this year, including a Degas sculpture and Lichtenstein work with a combined value of up to $80 million.
6. SOTHEBY'S
Sotheby's holds its main auction Thursday and boasts its biggest ever offering of 20th century Italian art as well as some choice post-war and contemporary works. They include a Lucian Freud portrait from 1952 worth 3-4 million pounds and a Peter Doig snowscape estimated at 1.5-2 million pounds.
7. PHILLIPS DE PURY
The auctioneer holds its big sale Wednesday, when its top lot is expected to be Jeff Koons' "Seal Walrus Trashcans" valued at 2-3 million pounds.
8. MONIKER
The street art fair is being held in Shoreditch, east London, on the same dates as Frieze. It boasts "a matchless assemblage of artists and galleries who are often overlooked by mainstream art fairs."