Fairs and Markets

ATG Editor Ivan Macquisten will chair a debate at this year’s Summer Olympia fair on the challenges facing the industry in breaking into the Chinese and Asian markets.

In his monthly columns for ATG, Fine Art Asia fair director and dealer Andy Hei takes a look at the international market from a Far Eastern perspective, sheds light on how to do business with the Chinese in Hong Kong and explains why Hong Kong is a better first stop than mainland China.

What a difference a year makes. The sea change of opinion among the trade on the subject of June Olympia over the past year has been pretty dramatic.

An impressive exhibitor list was announced last night for the inaugural Frieze Masters, the first historical art fair to be organised by Frieze. The event will coincide with the contemporary art fair from October 11-14, 2012 on Gloucester Green, Regent's Park, London.

They nicknamed him ‘Braaq’ when he was at school in Liverpool, on account of his artistic talent by kids who maybe didn’t know how to spell Georges Braque’s name.

For the third time, fair organiser Ingrid Nilson is hoping to enliven the first Friday of the Olympia International Fine Art and Antiques Fair with another Secret Antiques Dealers’ Ball on June 8 at The Hilton Olympia Hotel just next door.

TRADERS in Sheffield have launched an initiative to promote the city’s antiques quarter that could provide a template for other parts of the country to follow.

AFTER several months of speculation in the trade, founder and chairman Ralph Ward-Jackson has announced that Art London will not take place this year.

THE ‘LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair Berkeley Square’ (September 19-23) may have a great Mayfair location but, since its launch in 2009, it has struggled with how to fit the 90-odd exhibitors into a marquee within the tight confines of the site.

IT may sound a little gimmicky, but one of the most captivating TEFAF exhibits this year was an animated version of Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder’s Vase With Flowers in a Window by the contemporary artists Rob and Nick Carter on the stand of London’s Fine Art Society.

The 20th BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair opened on March 21 in the Duke of York Square in Chelsea and was once again greeted by spring sunshine.

So what is the most important revelation in this year’s TEFAF report?

THE incomparable TEFAF Maastricht opened to the usual streams of visitors at the Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre but, unusually for the Dutch fair, an early big ticket sale came for a British picture.

GRAY’S dealers hoping for some let-up in the disruption to the surrounding area have learnt that Crossrail have applied for the continued closure of the street that runs parallel to the central London antiques centre.

TV presenters and antiques champions Kirstie Allsopp and Mark Hill announced the winners of the inaugural Britain’s Best Antiques Shops Awards at the Bath Decorative & Antiques Fair on March 8.

CLARION Events announced last week that stand sales for the Summer Olympia fair this June are up over 100 per cent from this time last year.

The dates for the trio of major London summer fairs have now been released.

MASTERPIECE London has secured planning permission for the third edition of the lavish marquee fair next year.

HOARDINGS set to block the front entrance of Grays antiques centre in London’s West End for up to three years have already hit trade, say dealers.