There will be thousands of objects at the Open Art Fair from an eclectic and inter-disciplinary mix of dealers to surprise and delight visitors who relish ‘intellectual and decorative shopping’.
This apt phrase comes from a new book (The Man in the Red Coat by Julian Barnes). A true story of three French grandees of the Belle Epoque (the 1880s and 90s), a prince, a baron, and an innovative surgeon to the great and good: all three dedicated aesthetes, aware that the West End of London would be the most promising destination for a treasure hunt.
The co-founders of Masterpiece Fair (Thomas Woodham-Smith and Harry van der Hoorn, owner of Stabilo, designers and makers of exhibition stands around the world) have now bought the 27-year-old BADA Fair to replace a traditional trade gathering with a revolutionary new concept.
They have assembled about 100 exhibitors to sell an infinite variety of fine art, furniture, vintage binoculars, devices, jewellery, watches, artefacts, carpets, objets, d’art. The stands are not expensive, and the exhibitors are not limited to grand and costly pieces.
The Fair does not emphasise any one style but includes the highest standards of fine art and craftsmanship, the romantic and the classical, together with the edgy and quirky, big names and lesser lights, and high-quality art and design from antiquity to the 21st century. They are avoiding the ‘A’ word, i.e.’ antiques’.
Director and creator Thomas Woodham-Smith commented: “Chelsea has always been a cultural and commercial centre, with a maverick aspect driven by its bohemian past and the small physical scale of most of the shops and cafes. This means that what’s on offer can be more experimental or specialist. We welcome the modern as well as the ancient.”
As a dealer for many years, described by a city reporter as a towering force in the antique trade,’ Thomas goes on to say, “The great challenge for the market, not just the Fair, is to make itself relevant for the 2020s. Taste changes all the time; dealers are leaving behind the traditional methods of shop-based dealing.
The private dealer who works from fairs, catalogues and the internet is the way things are going. At the Open Art Fair, we are geared to being nimble enough to provide an ever-changing platform.”
Highlights at the Fair include rare Chinese porcelain from Imperial times (Gibson Antiques) to boys’ toys from Hatchwell Antiques and Mark Goodger, including a handcrafted model of a 1908 single-cylinder steam motor car, Aeronautica, and automobilia, even a Bugatti radiator-turned decanter.
For collectors of fine paintings, the Fair offers romantic English landscapes, sailing boats cleaving through heavy waves, luscious summer gardens, handsome thoroughbreds in noble stables and contemporary racetrack, and recollections of the Mediterranean idyll.
The Open Art Fair 2020 Information
The Open Art Fair will be held at Duke of York Square from 18th to 24th March 2020, inclusive, versatile, and fun. Tickets are £20 at the door and available through the website www.theopenartfair.com.
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