At Frieze New York ’s VIP opening on Wednesday morning, collectors were present but rarely looked enthusiastic. Presentations by the nearly 70 galleries were modest and studied. The pace of sales was sensible, sedate. But let’s be clear: Business has improved since last year, and the mood at the Shed was buoyed by the knowledge that top-tier works are heading to auction over the next week. “When you bring great material to market, it lifts everything,” Thaddaeus Ropac told me just after the doors opened. Ropac confirmed four sales within the first few minutes of the fair, presumably finishing deals that had been coming together in prior days. These included a large 2012 George Baselitz canvas for €1.4 million (about $1.6 million), a semi-abstract black-and-white Alex Katz work for $400,000, and Joan Snyder ’s Buds & Blossoms (2025) for $150,000 . Alex Katz, Black Roses 3 , 2025. Photo: Daniel Greer. One of the Ropac’s directors rattled off the sales as Ropac and I chatted.…