For museums and those with practically unlimited budgets, Frieze Masters, which ATG will cover in more depth next week, might be the destination of choice. But plenty more is on hand.
This week, ATG takes a look at three of the other early October events: the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair, PAD London and BADA Collection.
The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair
The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair, known colloquially as ‘Battersea Decorative’, takes place from October 3-8.
Though the opening day is marked unfailingly by celebrity appearances (David Beckham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne and Paul Smith are among the notable previous attendees), it is perhaps the most down-to-earth of the fairs trio featured here. It puts the focus on real domestic interiors and more affordable prices, presenting its offerings in a family-friendly atmosphere.
The familial atmosphere extends to those who both participate in and attend the fair. Trade buyers rush through the doors on the opening morning and it is not unknown for stands to sell out on the first day.
Though visitor numbers might experience a dip during the 9-5 hours on workdays, this gives exhibitors a chance to explore the fair, chatting to – and often buying from – fellow dealers.
The fair runs three times a year. The autumn edition is the last for 2017 and features more than 160 dealers ranged across the ground floor and mezzanine of the Battersea Evolution exhibition centre.
Among the newcomers this year are James McWhirter Antiques, bringing ‘interesting and quirky’ furniture and antiques from the 18th century to the present; Chinese indigo folk textile specialist Bleu Anglais; and Milos Antiques with 20th century furniture and decorative accessories.
A number of dealers are also returning, including Malby Maps and Dean Antiques, joining regular exhibitors such as Brian Watson Antique Glass, Cave Decorative Arts and Don Kelly Books.
As a fair that prides itself on showcasing how antiques and decorative pieces really can work in the home, it features a themed room set stand in the foyer comprising of themed selections chosen from various stands. This year the theme is ‘The Admiral’s Eyrie’, and features objects such as naval binoculars and a selection of sea charts.
And for those fair navigators who want to plan a strategic route before hitting the stands, Megan’s Kitchen in the mezzanine will open an hour before the rest of the fair for this edition, offering a chance for some pre-entry planning.
Once doors open officially, expect to see an assortment of dogs on leads accompanying visitors and exhibitors as well as a selection of young couples and families, committed collectors and trade buyers. There, they search for anything from large-scale country house furniture to treen and small collectables gathered under a single roof.
PAD London
Possibly the loftiest of these three events, PAD London is pitched to buyers seeking to supplement art bought at Frieze with important – sometimes flashy – design. Born out of the long-standing French counterpart (PAD Paris, March 21-25), PAD London is in its 11th year and runs from October 2-8 in a marquee in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square.
As well as offering a global selection of galleries, organisers announced a new edition of the fair to take place in Geneva next year.
For the 2017 London edition, the fair has reinforced its focus on collectable design of all ages, a slight shift away from previous editions at which exhibitors focusing on photography and modern masterpieces stood. However, the event’s offering remains eclectic with the inclusion of galleries focusing on tribal, Asian and ancient art.
A total of 11 new dealers are attending including sculpture specialist Nicolas Bourriaud, Portuondo bringing 20th century design and Ma Tel with contemporary jewellery. They will join returning exhibitors including Michael Goedhuis, Sarah Myerscough and Aktis Gallery for a total of 67 galleries.
Founded by Patrick Perrin, the fair is pitched to appeal to what organisers describe as ‘collectors, art consultants, museum experts, interiors specialists, design practitioners and the public’.
This is a wide brief but it is reasonable to expect many luxury shoppers here buying at ‘aspirational’ prices. Still, there is a share of four-figure art and decorative pieces such as a Tatou end table offered by Pinto Paris for €7500 and a Limoges porcelain vessel (Sculptural Vessel Form 32) by Ipek Kotan from Adrian Sassoon priced at £5000.
BADA Collection
Finally a new fair staged by the British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) could offer visitors something a little different. Staged at The Lanesborough, a prestigious hotel in Hyde Park Corner, BADA Collection runs from October 6-8.
A more intimate affair than the other two events, it hosts 13 dealers from the association, including some that have never shown at BADA’s major fair on Duke of York Square in March (Adrian Alan, JAN Fine Art and Cohen & Cohen). Other regular BADA fair exhibitors who will stand at the new event include Michael German Antiques with a selection of arms, armour and antique canes, watercolour and drawing specialist John Spink and JH Bourdon-Smith with Georgian and Victorian silver.
John Spink Fine Watercolours offers The Private View, a watercolour over pen and ink by Thomas Rowlandson measuring 5 x 8in (12 x 20cm). It is thought to be a rare view of the interior of Somerset House from around the time that Turner would have exhibited there. It is offered for a price around £10,000 and is one of a series of London pictures that the gallery will exhibit at BADA Collection.
The event is staged as a luxury event held to attract a new, wider assortment of buyers, whether first-time collectors or those making one-off purchases. It might be an unknown entity, but such new ventures are likely to bring regular collectors and trade members as well as curious Lanesborough residents through the doors.
When the event was announced, BADA CEO Marco Forgione said that the timing could help “maximise London’s position as the capital for art and antiques for the autumn” and give buyers more opportunities to buy in different environments.
All images are copyright of their respective dealerships.
