ANTHONY FELL: NORFOLK, UK
Anthony Fell from Holt in Norfolk deals in 18th century English furniture and works of art and will exhibit at Olympia this summer.
Dealer Anthony Fell.
Why Olympia?
There is quite a contingent from Norfolk who go and we know each other well. It is a proper dealers’ fair, not stuck up at all. I did Masterpiece for a number of years, most recently in 2015. It is very good but it costs a lot more money. There is a good mix of buyers at Olympia, from dealers to collectors and decorators.
What will you do in advance?
I am having a number of pieces restored for the fair. I buy items with Olympia in mind but on occasion I have bought something for the fair but then sold it before it starts!
Your star object…
A Regency slate top Etruscan centre table c.1820 priced in the region of £10,000-12,000.
A Regency slate top Etruscan centre table c.1820, offered at Olympia by dealer Anthony Fell and priced in the region of £10,000-12,000.
Effects of Brexit…
I don’t think people care about Brexit in terms of it affecting what they buy. The referendum result itself had a big impact at the time (June 2016) – it killed the June fairs that year – but now people are not paying attention.
Where are you staying?
In an Airbnb place nearby.
CHRISTOPHE PERLÈS: PARIS, FRANCE
Parisian dealer Christophe Perlès specialises in European porcelain and is one of three ceramic dealers, alongside Brian Haughton and Robyn Robb, exhibiting in the second edition of A Collectors’ Paradise at 15 Duke Street, St James’s.
Dealer Christophe Perlès.
Why A Collectors’ Paradise?
I wanted to carry on with the Haughtons [who organised Art Antiques, London and its predecessor, the International Ceramics Fair].
Why A Collectors’ Paradise?
I wanted to carry on with the Haughtons [who organised Art Antiques, London and its predecessor, the International Ceramics Fair].
However, this will be my last show for a couple of years because I am taking a break and changing direction as a dealer, although I might come back in the future.
What will you bring this year?
I will bring things that complement the other two displays: Japanese porcelain, for instance, because this has been one of my new areas, and some French porcelain (Saint Cloud, Sèvres and Chantilly) as this is rather popular in England. I will also have some German porcelain and Italian maiolica.
Christophe Perlès will be taking this 18th century Du Paquier figural spice box to 'A Collectors’ Paradise'. It is very similar to an example in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and is priced at £14,000.
Who do you expect to meet?
I don’t really mind. It is a fun, friendly atmosphere with Brian and Anna Haughton. I will see my existing clients and also some dealers who buy from me. If it is as successful as last year, that would be perfect.
MAURIZIO NOBILE: PARIS, FRANCE & BOLOGNA, ITALY
Maurizio Nobile Gallery specialises in Italian art from the 16th-20th centuries and is based in Bologna and Paris. This summer it will be exhibiting at 35 Bury Street, St James’s, SW1Y 6AY as part of London Art Week.
Dealer Maurizio Nobile.
Why London Art Week?
We started exhibiting at London Art Week five years ago and for us it was a very positive experience. We like the pop-up gallery formula.
What do you plan in advance?
We concentrate on the selection of paintings that can tell a story. Works of art that belong to the same period or school can develop critical analyses and interesting historical issues.
Your star object?
An important painting by Alessandro Rosi (1627-97) that we have just restored. It is new on the market, perfectly preserved and particularly important because it opens a new chapter in the dialogue between Rosi and Salvator Rosa’s (1615-73) style. It will put a spotlight on the Florentine school of the second half of the 17th century.
'Saint Anthony raises the Young Dead and Frees the Father' by Alessandro Rosi, 4ft 8in x 3ft 9in (1.43 x 1.15m). The asking price is €350,000.
What do you like best about London in the summer?
The vibrant atmosphere, and meeting clients, colleagues and collectors.
FRANCESCO OCCHINEGRO: TURIN, ITALY
Caretto & Occhinegro is a first-time participant at London Art Week, exhibiting at 21 Georgian House, Bury Street, St James’s, SW1Y 6AA
Dealer Francesco Occhinegro.
Why London Art Week?
Renting an entire gallery in St James’s allows us to organise an exhibition for London in detail while expressing our dealership’s personality at its best.
What exhibition are you staging?
Titled Nature | Symbol | Color: Inside Flemish Art, our show is a contemporary approach to the Old Masters. Rather than focusing on a specific author or single period, it is a detailed study of the three main and most intense characteristics of Flemish art.
Your star object?
Jan van Kessel the Elder’s Study of Insects with a Borago Officinalis. It’s a painting that exemplifies the type of Flemish art we are focusing on: rich in colour, refined, bright and suitable for collectors who love timeless pieces. Objects such as this are highly coveted on the international market.
Jan van Kessel the Elder, 'Study of Insects with a Borago Officinalis', c.1660, oil on copper. Prices at the Caretto & Occhinegro show range from £100,000-300,000.
Where are you staying?
We have rented a flat in the Regent’s Park area and will stay for about 15 days.
English country pub or posh London eatery?
Posh all my life!
PAOLO ANTONACCI: ROME, ITALY
Paolo Antonacci founded a gallery in Rome in 1998 specialising in European paintings from the late 18th to 20th centuries.
Dealer Paolo Antonacci.
How long have you been exhibiting at Masterpiece?
I think this is the fifth or sixth year I have participated in Masterpiece and each time has been very successful for me in terms of sales. Every year we meet many interesting people from all over the world. Last year I sold a major painting to an Italian client who we didn’t know.
What is the special attraction of Masterpiece for you?
I believe the attraction of this fair is that it coincides with London Art Week and major sales in the peak summer season. This is one of the main reasons why I really love this fair. It is a chance for me to see many clients and friends.
Among the pieces that Paolo Antonacci Roma will be showing at Masterpiece this year is 'Elegant figures admiring the ruins of Tintern Abbey', a 5ft 10in x 3ft 11in (1.8 x 1.2m) English school oil on canvas from the circle of Samuel Colman and dating from the first quarter of the 19th century. The works on show will range in price from £10,000-500,000.
What do you plan in advance?
We start planning at least three months ahead. Right after TEFAF Maastricht in March we start to organise for Masterpiece, and decide with special care what we are going to bring for our clients and what we can show for the international market. London is such a big city, so many collectors live there or come for that particular week.
What other fairs do you do as well as Masterpiece?
TEFAF Maastricht, Fine Arts Paris, the Florence Biennale and Amart, a brand-new fair in Milan.
PEDRO BAPTISTA: LISBON, PORTUGAL
Jewellery and silver dealer J Baptista is based in Lisbon and will be exhibiting at Olympia this summer.
Dealer Pedro Baptista.
Why Olympia?
Olympia has been a reference fair for the past 40 years; many important dealers, collectors and objects of great significance have passed through this event. We go to the fair for the opportunity to meet new clients and dealers.
What do you plan in advance?
We have to design the stand bearing in mind the items we have and the best way to present them. We also need to cleverly pick the items we are showing, as the English audience is quite different from the Portuguese.
One of the objects J Baptista is taking to Olympia is this large wood and silver fish.
What else will you be doing during your visit?
I plan to visit the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and spend a lot of money in Foyles bookshop.
What do you like best about London in the summer?
I love its parks – particularly Holland Park and London Fields in Hackney.
English country pub or posh London eatery?
I like The Two Brewers in Covent Garden.
JENNIFER LANDAU EVANS: MONTREAL & QUEBEC, CANADA
Landau Fine Art is an Impressionist & Modern art dealer based in Montreal and Quebec. This year it is exhibiting at Masterpiece London for the first time.
Jennifer Landau Evans of Landau Fine Art.
Why Masterpiece?
I have visited and followed Masterpiece year after year and heard from many dealers that you can meet potential clients there that you just don’t run into at any other major art fair. Everyone is in London for the summer season and Masterpiece is in the thick of it.
What do you plan in advance?
The list is extensive. As well as booth design, selection of artworks, shipping plans, lighting and installation, we have to take care of the import and export of artworks into the UK from Switzerland and Canada. There’s also coordinating all the staff for the event including travel, hotel and restaurant bookings, as well as PR, marketing, client mailings and invitations – these are just a few examples.
How do you think the prospect of Brexit will affect buyer confidence?
We will have to wait and see. Either way, I am confident that fairs such as Masterpiece will continue to flourish.
Landau Fine Art will offer 'Reclining Figure: Curved' (1977), a 4ft 11in (1.5m) long black marble sculpture by Henry Moore at Masterpiece. The asking price is $35m.
Where are you staying?
The Sloane Club.
What else will you be doing during your visit?
Visiting the Monet & Architecture show at the National Gallery, stopping by the Mayfair art galleries to see what’s on and looking for [clothes] bargains on Sloane Street and the King’s Road during the summer sales.
What do you like best about London in the summer?
Attending the Wimbledon tennis championships if I can get tickets.
English country pub or posh London eatery?
La Petite Maison in Brooks Mews, Mayfair, would be my first choice if I could bring my yellow Labrador Jake, but it will have to be The Cricketers pub in Cobham, where I know that Jake is always welcome.
QUIRINE VERLINDE: ZURICH, SWITZERLAND
Galerie von Vertes is a Modern and Contemporary art dealer exhibiting at this summer’s Masterpiece.
Quirine Verlinde of Galerie von Vertes.
Why Masterpiece?
We stood there for the first time last year and were impressed by the quality of artworks, blend of exhibitors as well as the organisation, flowers and number of visitors. The accompanying Burberry exhibition, The Cape Reimagined, was an absolute must and complemented last year’s fair splendidly.
What do you plan in advance?
The preparations for Masterpiece take about four to five months. First we formulate a specific theme and the concept forms the golden thread running throughout our exhibition.
Once we have completed a plan, we make a model of the booth where we lay everything out in detail including artworks, furniture, pedestals and colour schemes of the walls.
After that is finalised we start with the shipping formalities: documentation, booking hotels and flights.
Your star object?
A painting by Gerhard Richter from 1983. Untitled (1.10.83) was part of the CNN collection and was shown in the Richter exhibition in Amsterdam in 1987.
The energetic brushwork and illuminating colour palette illustrate vividly how Richter reinvented abstract art.
'Untitled (1.10.83)' by Gerhard Richter will be offered by Galerie von Vertes at Masterpiece, priced between €1.6m-€2m.
Effects of Brexit?
The density of international collectors and art lovers in London is like nowhere else in the world and we believe that, despite Brexit, London will flourish.
Where are you staying?
I’ll stay for a week and a half overall, from the build-up to the dismantling of the fair. A central location is important, so it’s The Westbury Mayfair for me.
What else will you do?
We’ll go to the Royal Academy of Arts, the Tate and, of course, other galleries such as Lévy Gorvy, Sprüth-Magers and Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. London is such an electrifying and eccentric metropolis. I always go back to Zurich refreshed and full of ideas.
English country pub or posh London eatery?
We love to go to Bunga Bunga in Battersea – delicious Italian food in a stunning environment.
JEREMY ASTFALCK: FRANSCHHOEK, SOUTH AFRICA
Specialising in silver and decorative arts, Jeremy Astfalck of The Old Corkscrew is exhibiting at Olympia this summer.
Dealer Jeremy Astfalck of The Old Corkscrew.
Why Olympia?
As one of London’s most established art and antique fairs, Olympia gives me the platform to shine once a year on the global stage. Visitors from around the UK and the four corners of the globe arrive and can buy the best, across all genres.
What do you plan in advance?
It starts six months ahead, not only putting aside the best finds but sorting out the logistics. Moving 800kg of stock 6000 miles requires good shippers and the correct paperwork. Doing fairs internationally means you have to really promote yourself and your stock. Advertising, personalised invitations and social media all require advance thought so that when the fair starts, you’ve done everything to make it a success.
Your star object?
This year the fair is part of The House & Garden Festival, meaning we have visitors who will be attending Spirit of Summer, HOUSE and GROW London. Once they have been exposed to these events, my novelty silver wheelbarrows created a century ago are going to be noticed.
The novelty silver wheelbarrows that The Old Corkscrew are offering at Olympia.
Effects of Brexit?
World economics and Brexit are going to have an influence. Our job is to allow clients to step away from the clamour of this with what we’re selling.
ANDREW DUNCANSON: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Andrew Duncanson is the founder and director of Modernity in Stockholm, a gallery specialising in Nordic design from the 20th century. He is exhibiting at Masterpiece for the third time.
Andrew Duncanson of Swedish dealership Modernity.
What is the main attraction of Masterpiece for you?
The quality of goods and exhibitors is always very high. London is also a good market for us and we love the city and have many clients there.
What planning do you do?
A lot! We do a mock-up of our booth at our warehouse in Stockholm so that there are no surprises on site. We also carefully curate the selection for the booth to create a harmonious but interesting mix of objects.
Modernity’s star exhibit at 'Masterpiece' this year is this unique desk from 1924 by the renowned Swedish architect and designer Folke Bensow. Prices on the stand will range from around £3000-£120,000
What is the focus or theme for your stand this year?
We like to create a living environment and not just a museum installation. We give each piece its own context within a liveable space. We bring a wide selection of furniture, lighting, textiles, ceramics and glass and consequently our price range is quite wide.
Effects of Brexit?
I do not believe it will have an effect. The first Masterpiece where we exhibited took place just days after the referendum (in June 2016) and people were a bit shocked, but we still did well.
