Bettina Korek

Bettina Korek is the CEO of Serpentine Gallery. Bettina was previously the Executive Director of Frieze Los Angeles from March 2018 to March 2020. Korek was the founding Executive Director of the art fair Frieze Los Angeles. The inaugural edition was held at Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood in February 2019, and in addition to being a commercial success, it established a place for L. A. on the global art world calendar. Korek led the 2020 edition of the fair as well, liaising with dozens of galleries, museums, and artist-run organizations across the city to grow “Frieze Week Los Angeles” into a moment galvanizing a critical mass of world-class exhibitions and events and a matching volume of engagement from locals and visitors alike.

Under Korek’s leadership, Frieze Los Angeles distinguished itself as a top-tier international art fair that prioritized showcasing the unique character of its host city, and leveraged its magnitude to promote contemporary art as a meaningful and inclusive part of public life in Los Angeles.

The L.A. artist Barbara Kruger played a special role both editions of Frieze Los Angeles. In 2020 Korek organized a large-scale public art project placing Kruger’s "Questions" on prominent sites around the city.

Frieze Los Angeles catalyzed an ongoing collaboration between the criminal justice reform philanthropy Art for Justice and Frieze Los Angeles’s strategic partner Endeavor. In 2019, an installation and limited edition by L.A. artist Mark Bradford in 2019 raised more than $1 million for Art for Justice. In 2020, an event at the Getty co-organized with Endeavor for Art for Justice kicked off Frieze Week, and Endeavor presented a special exhibition by incarcerated artists at the fair.

Local artist-run organizations, advocacy projects, and creative enterprises were invited to present their activities at the inaugural Frieze Los Angeles. In 2020, these efforts were expanded with the Artist Street Fair, where visitors could learn about the missions of innovative art initiatives from around L.A. and accessible ways of supporting them.

Bettina Korek graduated from Princeton University with a BA in Art and Archeology.

Some direct reports include Hans Ulrich Obrist - Artistic Director, Monica Varriale - Chief Operating & Financial Officer.