London Art Fair 2011 Post Fair Round Up

London Art Fair 19–23 January 2011 at the Business Design Centre, Islington
 
Reporting excellent visitor figures, strong sales and positive feedback, London Art Fair drew a record 24,389 visitors and over 250 media representatives from the UK and around the world. Some 3821 people attended the Preview Evening.
 
VIPs who visited the Fair included Sir Peter Blake, Jerry Hall and Jim Broadbent, Tracey Emin,  Dara Ó Briain and Rory Bremner.
 
124 galleries took part in total, compared with 116 in 2010, making this year the largest since the Fair began in 1988.  15 galleries exhibited in the Main Fair for the first time while 30 galleries presented solo shows and curated group exhibitions in the Art Projects section.
 
New galleries participating for the first time included Vegas Gallery, Bartha Contemporary, Nettie Horn, R O O M London, Chisenhale / Studio Voltaire, Counter Editions and The Fine Art Society.
 
London Art Fair confirmed a strengthening art market. Collectors rewarded excellent material and smart booth presentations with strong sales:
 
– Offer Waterman & Co made strong sales with Peter Lanyon, Robert Adams, Diarmuid Kelley and Richard Lin.
 
– Piano Nobile Gallery sold important Modern British works by David Bomberg and Walter Sickert, as well as works by contemporary artist Adam Birtwhistle. “London Art Fair 2011 shows the resilience of the Modern British art market”, said Robert Travers.
 
– Hazlitt Holland Hibbert sold works by Frank Auerbach, Leon Kossof and Kenneth Armitage.
 
– Long & Ryle’s sales included a painting by John Monks for £45,000.  Sarah Long said, “we have had a successful fair, and better than last year, with a good quality crowd throughout the Fair”
 
– Danielle Arnaud sold 7 glass bells by Tessa Farmer at £1200 and 3 prints by photographer Nicky Coutts at £2300.
 
– The Fine Art Society, in its first year at London Art Fair, sold a Gaudier-Brzeska bronze on the opening night for £55,000. Scottish works and pieces by sculptor Geoffrey Clarke also sold. “We have had good footfall, a lot of interest and good sales.”
 
– Paisnel Gallery sold 12 paintings between £5,000 and £25,000, including 2 works by Martin Bradley and 4 works by Alan Davie. “We have been consistently busy, and have done better than last year. We have done a great deal more business than if we had stayed in our gallery this week.”
 
– CHARLIE SMITH London made numerous sales of work by John Stark and Gavin Tremlett. “We are very happy to have brought John Stark’s largest painting to date to London Art Fair and to have sold it on the first day to a well-respected English collector for £15,000.
 
– Foley Gallery, New York, made good sales in the Main Fair, having participated last year in Art Projects. “Sales were particularly good at the weekend, with people coming back to buy having explored the Fair during the week.”
 
Art Projects, the curated section of the Fair, saw good results as well with:
 
– BEARSPACE Gallery sold 25 prints by photographer Suzanne Moxhay. “The Fair exceeded expectations, both in terms of making sales and meeting new contacts.”
 
– NETTIE HORN Gallery’s sales included a photographic work by Antti Laitinen for £3600.
 
– Whitechapel Gallery, selling prints from £95-£795, also gathered new members. “It’s good for us to be here in Art Projects, around emerging artists. Everyone who bought a print also became a member of Whitechapel Gallery.”
 
In Photo50, the Fair’s showcase for contemporary photography, Lisa Barnard sold 3 works from her Maggie project at £1050 each while Bill Armstrong, represented by HackelBury Gallery, also sold a work from his Renaissance series priced at £2100.
 
Maggie’s Art of Hope,  that was auctioned by Hugh Edmeades of Christie’s held on the preview evening raised more than more than £27,000. Highlights were:
 
– Harland Miller ‘Don’t Let The Bastards Cheer You Up’ sold for £3,300 (Guide price £1,000 – £1,500)
 
– Yoko Ono ‘Promise Piece II’ sold for £3,100 (guide price £1,000 – £1,500)
 
– Maggi Hambling ‘Wave Breaking’ sold for £3,600 (guide price £1,500 – £2,000)
 

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