The Open Art Fair

The Open Art Fair (TOAF) is investigating new dates and venues after it was forced to scrap its edition for this year.

The Open Art Fair is set to return next spring. Part owned by BADA (British Antique Dealers’ Association), it is scheduled to run in a purpose-built marquee in Duke of York Square, Chelsea, from April 19-23.

The organiser of The Open Art Fair (TOAF) in Chelsea vows the event will return next year.

MADAM – Re: ‘Fair loses appeal over early closure’, front page, ATG No 2484.

BADA Ltd, the organiser of The Open Art Fair, has lost an appeal against a small claims court ruling that said two dealers need pay only part of their stand fee as the event was cut short.

The organiser of The Open Art Fair is to appeal a small claims court ruling that said two dealers need pay only part of their stand fee as the event was cut short.

The British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) Council is giving members who exhibited at the curtailed The Open Art Fair (TOAF) sums equivalent to 20% of their stand rental charges.

The Open Art Fair, the new incarnation of what was the annual BADA fair in Chelsea, opened in hugely difficult circumstances on Wednesday March 18.

Salon du Dessin, Art & Antiques for Everyone and Chelsea shelved but TOAF to go ahead

The first edition of 'The Open Art Fair' opens this month having morphed out of the BADA Fair. Here we speak to three dealers who have previously stood at the BADA event and another who has signed up for the first time.

Organisers of the new fair launching this month aim for an atmosphere welcoming to all

For better or worse, Brexit is finally set to proceed and will be a major factor in the year ahead – as will timed auctions, anti-money laundering rules, the looming prospect of a near-total ivory trade ban, antiquities challenges and a new buying ethos based on cultural sensitivities, changes at major fairs and a growing ‘green’ movement.

The British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) has committed to greater transparency and more consultation with its 300-plus members before key decisions affecting the trade body’s future are made.

The British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) is to hold a meeting for members on October 1 to discuss the sale of its fair and other concerns raised recently.

MADAM – The decision to sell the BADA fair to proven art and antiques fair organisers is an excellent move.

MADAM – Amid the BADA voices calling for an EGM (ATG No 2409), let me add that one thing is certain: the days of traditional art and antiques fairs are numbered, thanks to changing tastes and an ageing buyer audience.

MADAM – The decision by BADA’s council to sell a majority stake in the fair was based on reliable information that the event faced making significant losses in the coming years. When we were approached by Thomas Woodham-Smith and Harry Van der Hoorn with an offer to invest in the fair, we had the opportunity to say ‘no’.