MASTERPIECE ART FAIR

"Masterpiece London, situated at the peak of the capital’s summer season, brings together patrons, collectors, curators and exhibitors from across the world in a display of art, antiques and design of the highest calibre." (Masterpiece Fair)

"Launched in 2010 Masterpiece immediately made an impression attracting many of the world’s top dealers beguiled by the fair’s unique combination of high-end art with luxury goods and a most opulent setting. (Master Art)

"Each day, exhibitors present insights into their given area of expertise. If your interests lie in antiquities or abstract art, decorative arts or jewels, Masterpiece London gives you the opportunity to get up close to some of the finest examples at the fair and to learn and acquire from the world’s leading luminaries." (Masterpiece Fair)

Launched in June 2010, Masterpiece London is a new fair that brings together the best of the best from around the world fusing the fine and decorative arts with premium collectors' items such as classic cars, fine wines and contemporary design.

To go to the Masterpiece London - the capital's premier fair for art, antiques and design Facebook page and stay updated about this years show click here.

"A five-day fair bringing together fine art, antiques and applied arts from collectors, exhibitors and curators around the world. The work on sale in the custom-built pavilion spans multiple disciplines and styles, mixing contemporary with antique and traditional with offbeat to ensure lots of interest for visitors." (Time Out)

Although this event is more exclusive it looks very interesting and still it's affordable at the price of £25 for a general admission ticket. To buy tickets for this year show happening between 26 JUNE - 2 JULY go to Masterpiece Art Fair website.

Watch an exclusive preview of Masterpiece Art Fair created for 2013 HERE

New Artist Fair London

"The New Artist Fair is the best value Art Fair in London which displays high quality artworks from emerging and recently established artists from around the world. We hold our exhibitions within an affordable, friendly gallery environment in Central London locations." (New Artist Fair)

The image on the left is created by one of this years artist, Jemimah Canegrati. To see the full interview with the artist about the love for art and what she will be showing at the fair click here.

This year New Artist Fair is happening between 5 - 7 September 2014 and it's FREE of charge!

"We hold our exhibitions within an affordable, friendly gallery environment in Central London locations. As an Artist-run organisation, the New Artist Fair gives Artists back the power over how their art is promoted and sold. We promote all Artists who are looking to cut out gallery level commission charges and sell their work directly to Art lovers, buyers, investors and collectors. Our goal is to make selling Artwork directly to people easier and more cost-effective for Artists and we promote a varied mixture of Artworks at prices ranging from £50 to £2000. We exhibit the highest quality, affordable Art to a wide range of buyers and encourage people to invest in Art while supporting new talented Artists." (Magenta Sky)

Submissions for Summer Exhibition in September 2014 are now open! 
To see this interesting video on art fairs in London and art market click here

London Frieze Art Fair

London Frieze Art Fair is world’s leading contemporary art fair, which takes place every October in the picturesque Regents Park surroundings. Festival was established in 2003 by Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, the funders and publishers of “frieze” contemporary art magazine. The fair started as annual “celebration of internationalism and cultural tolerance” (ArtNet, 2004) attracting more than 27,000 visitors during its first opening. The Fair quickly gained the interest of those in professional art business as well as culturally driven audience, becoming financially secured and establishing its place in contemporary art market. In only ten years from its first opening Frieze Art Fair became one of the most prestigious and competitive fairs with hundreds of galleries to exhibit each year. In 2013, due to the popularity of Frieze, management decided to reduce capacity as well as number of available tickets which for the first time in the history of the fair sold out every day. Frieze London is a major competitor to other London based art fairs. With its sophisticated design, attractive and accessible location, top galleries on the list of exhibitors and with its unique experience Frieze London is impregnable. In 2012 Frieze expanded its brand by opening two new festivals: Frieze Masters, based alongside Frieze London and Frieze New York. Both fairs since their opening have gained positive and successful reviews.

Frieze London is a five day celebration of art, music, film and talks, which takes place every October in Regent’s Park. Initially staged for purely commercial reasons, soon became London’s biggest cultural attraction. The Fair is not only constructed and adapted for the benefits of the galleries, artists, curators but it also meets the needs of the general public, providing divers cultural experience.  The exhibition consists of three sections: main, Focus and Live, designed for commercial and young galleries and also installation and performance artists. Each year Frieze tries to adapt new strategies to differentiate its offering from other art fairs. In the experience driven economy in order to sustain growth and profitability, brands such as Frieze had to add new economic value to its enterprise.  The programmes of Frieze Art Far as well as Frieze Masters are designed to satisfy desires of “Creative Class” which demands “more active, authentic and participatory experiences” ( Pine and Gilmore, 2007). Each year Frieze invites to collaborations new architects, artist and managers to create, every time something novel. New site, new project, new design, fresh perspectives. 

Frieze Foundation, non-profit organisation found in 2003 is responsible for creating Frieze programme. Each year programme includes:

Frieze Projects

Frieze Film 

Frieze Music

Frieze Talks 

This diverse programme of the festival is build-up of tours, lectures, film projects many of which are interactive; cooperation with outer venues around London; educational discussions; music concerts and artists commissions. In 2013 Frieze Foundation added to the programme The Temple of Play   which is set of cultural activities created for kids and their families. In the same year, organisers of Frieze London have announced cut of tickets on sale by 25% so the venue can stay less crowded, be more authentic and clearer thus creating more commerce driven environment.  The sculpture park, situated outside the main entrance is an important part of Frieze Festival as gives a chance for those who haven’t purchase the ticket to enjoy contemporary art in a beautiful surroundings of  Regent’s Park. It also attracts and tempts passers to join this cultural festival. During the Frieze, visitors have a chance to taste different cousins, sit in specially design restaurants and cafes with an amazing view on the park,  all to create an unique  festival experiences . 

Frieze Art Fair with all its offerings does not belong to low cost fairs. The ticket prices range from £32 (ArtFund, 2013) and above. This can cause exclusion of certain groups of visitors, such as low income people, students or those traveling from far. Nevertheless, Frieze Art Fair does not state in none of its publication that is an affordable or low cost event. On the other hand, Frieze Art Fair is design with precision and taste for everyone who loves and appreciates art. Its moderate and sophisticated design together with high ticket price may be a repulsive factor, but for many cultural tourists it’s a place to be.  

AFFORDABLE ART FAIR

A short video introducing Will Ramsay, the founder of Affordable Art Fair in London and the idea behind it.

This particular art fair goes back to the beginnings of 1996, when Will Ramsay opened Art Warehouse in southwest London to bridge the increasing interest in contemporary art and the London gallery scene. Three years later the Affordable Art Fair was born. 

"Now up to 22,000 people come to each London fair to enjoy the art exhibited by the 120 British and international galleries. In the same year he established a fair in the West Country; the Bristol fair in May is now very popular attracting around 7,000 visitors over three days. Today, Will’s Art Warehouse still stands and the Affordable Art Fair has become something of a global phenomenon. The success of the British fairs encouraged Will to explore other markets and the Affordable Art Fair now takes place in cities including Amsterdam, Brussels, New York, Milan, Singapore, Hamburg, Mexico City, Seattle, Stockholm, Hong Kong and Maastricht. Globally, over 1.4 million people have visited an Affordable Art Fair, buying over £203 million worth of art."(Affordable Art Fair)

The Affordable Art Fair is a unique, really great concept mixing business with culture and tourism in which you can see and buy thousands of art works in an accessible and inspiring environment. Paintings and prints, sculptures and photography, an original work of diverse art by an upcoming talent or an established artist from around the world. In a short matter of time through its popularity and success  it has become globally recognisable and this year its held twice in London; Hampstead Heath, 12-15 June and Battersea 23-26 October 2014. For the details check out the website.

What's also worth to mention is the PULSE art fair that Will Ramsay created in 2005 held annually in New York and Miami. "PULSE combines thoughtfully curated exhibitions with an evolving series of programming, which reflects the fair’s commitment to making the visitor experience a dynamic one." (PULSE, New York)

It is a revitalised platform for the discovery of contemporary art and an exchange of ideas from pioneering and seasoned artists happening 8-11 May this year!

LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR 24 - 27 April' 14

London's longest-running art fair returns for its 29th year at the Royal Academy!

"With some 50 international exhibitors, the four-day show offers a wonderful opportunity to see and buy original prints, from the earliest Renaissance woodcuts to the latest editions by contemporary masters. Showcasing galleries, dealers and print publishers from across the UK, Europe and USA, LOPF is the perfect place to engage with experts and artists. This year to coincide with Renaissance Impressions in The Sackler Wing of Galleries, a number of old master exhibitors at LOPF feature chiaroscuro woodcuts on their stands. All prints are for sale, by artists such as Rembrandt, Goya and Picasso to Francis Bacon, David Hockney RA and Grayson Perry RA." (Royal Academy)

Here is the link to the website where Helen Rosslyn, Director of the London Original Print Fair, explains the concept of an original print ☛ Making a mark: #PrintMonth at the RA

London Original Print Fair is an amazing opportunity for art lovers to participate in such exciting event, a special occasion to see/ purchase original works of great artists, featuring an exciting programme of artists’ talks and demonstrations. Again, it has a huge impact on arts industry and UK's tourism, bringing people from all over the wold, engaging known galleries such as White Cube in 2013 and welcoming emerging talents internationally. This year looks promising with talks, just to name few; Experimentations in Chiaroscuro : Beccafumi’s Prints, Oil Sketches and Marble Intarsia, Introducing 'Dream, Draw, Work'- Curator’s Talk and evening event, Short Stories with Tim Winton.

If you are feeling lucky go to ☛ Competition ArtFund,

Five pairs of tickets to give away, plus an exclusive talk and tour of the Fair with Anne Desmet RA. It closes in 2 days, hurry up! 

If this is not convincing you to participate in this years print fair take a tour here ➳ THE LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR: INTELLIGENT COLLECTING

I am recently drawn into Yayoi Kusama work. Here is one of the prints that was available to buy in April 2012.

Pumpkin and Fruits, 1993 screen-print 33.2 x 42.6 cm

Hope to see you there! 

Invisible Effects – The Art Market as an Attraction for Tourism

• The art market supports revenues and employment indirectly by adding to the cultural and historical attractions available to visitors to London and other centres throughout the country. Cultural tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors of global tourism markets, and art, culture and the creative industries are increasingly being used to promote destinations.
• The International Passenger Survey revealed that 7.4 million visitors from overseas (or 23%) visit museums or art galleries. London is a hub for tourists interested in the art market and over half of inbound tourists to the city on holidays visit art venues during their stay.
• A recent study by Deloitte found that the visitor economy as a whole directly generated 4% of the UK’s GDP and, when the indirect contribution of related sectors in the supply chain to tourism were taken into account, the estimated contribution of tourism to GDP was 8%, or £114 billion.
• It is thought that cultural tourism accounts for at least 40% of all tourism, giving an estimated 1.2 million jobs in that sector in 2010.
• Cultural tourists have also been shown to be the highest spenders within different tourist segments. It is estimated that at least 28% of spending by overseas visitors to the UK is directly motivated by arts, cultural and heritage.

“The market encourages visits from collectors and they have done much to support Britain’s cultural institutions; a flourishing art trade in London enables dealers themselves to be generous supporters; and the art trade depends on expertise which it also fosters. Curators and dealers and auction house specialists learn from each other, and it is a great advantage to any scholar working on old master paintings to be able to see so many more than would be available if the market moved elsewhere.”

Dr Nicholas Penny

Director, The National Gallery, London

“London’s pre-eminence in the international art market enriches the experience
 of museum staff and encourages the exchange of ideas between curators and experts in the trade”

Dr. Mark Evans

Senior Curator of Paintings, Victoria and Albert Museum

“London’s position as an international centre for art depends on a flourishing art market as well as its great museums. Together they make London a major attraction for anyone interested in visual arts and heritage”

Sir Nicholas Serota

Director, Tate

-> The British Art Market <-

Tourism in London

• Tourism in London supports 226,000 jobs or around 5 per cent of all 
employment in the capital
• Tourism in London accounts for £6.6 billion ‘tourism direct GVA’ of £34.3 billion 
nationally
• London is one of the most visited cities in the world with nearly 15 million 
international visitors annually
• At the end of 2011 there were some 96,000 hotel rooms available in the capital
• In total, business tourism accounts for under 19 per cent of visitors but nearly 26 per cent of spend
• The largest share of both visitors and spend in 2010 was from holiday visitors
• The US remains the largest single market in terms of percentage share of spend 
in all three categories: business tourism, holiday tourism and visiting friends and relatives (VFR)
• Domestic tourism is the smallest source of spend in London accounting for less 
than a quarter of what international spend does
• Whereas evidence suggests that international tourism to London behaves as a 
luxury good, it is not clear that domestic tourism behaves so
• Day visitor spend in London accounts for more than international tourism spend and domestic overnight spend put together

               Tourism in London By Simon Kyte

ART 14 - tourism and cultural exchange

Art industry is fast growing and dynamic field that is expanding globally and internationally involving countries from all over the world, allowing them to share their culture and introduce to their world of art. Thus the art festivals and events are always surprising, exciting and memorable experience to all involved. Having attended this year's Art 14 Festival I will try to tick how important it is to expand globally with art fairs and festivals, giving the opportunity for diverse galleries to become recognisable and artists appreciated not only in their own region but also around the world. 

Art 14 London festival was a global art fair introducing over 700 artists; emerging talents as well as modern masters, 180 galleries and 24 projects from 40 countries. Art 14 can be classified as hallmark event since it has been staged, so far twice with the debut show in 2013. "The inaugural edition of the fair in 2013, attracted 25,000 visitors, including 4,500 VIPs. It was a success with critics, galleries, collectors and art fans alike, with Wallpaper praising the fair’s ‘impressive scope‘, while the Financial Times reported on Art13 London’s ‘refreshingly different‘ approach." (Factum Gallery)

The fair presented works from across the globe; including Berlin, Havana, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Mali, Lithuania, London and Lagos. The fair featured a wide variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography and editions, ranging from £500 to £500,000 intended for the art collectors, art lovers or people looking to make the first purchase, there was truly something for everyone. As well as all the art, there were events, art talks and activities to enjoy during the show. (Olympia)

The aim of the event was "to rebalance the western hegemony and to show galleries from all over the world on an even playing field: we think all countries are equally important – even if the work is less familiar.” (The Telegraph) The Art 14 London is a fairly new event in the industry. Art 13 hosted the same time last year achieved positive feedback and has been called a new and exciting event and has raised by 20% in visitor numbers this year. Such events are needed in arts industry to prove that not only art, which is established, approved and widely known is valuable. To show that there is a space, appreciation and demand for an exchange of all sorts of art, unknown and international, creating a new link into events tourism in England and overseas. The event has been established on a "strong believe in the need to create a dedicated platform for art from across all corners of the globe, in a dialogue with each other and the visitor, to ensure an experience of the very best of modern and contemporary art for a broad audience."(Visit to Art14)

The main idea of the festival was to bring together international art galleries from across the world and introduce emerging talents from their areas as well as globally appreciated and recognized artists. The core value of the event was the diversity of art shown, cultures mixing and opening the new possibilities in arts and events tourism for young galleries as well as the once worldly famous. It can be notice by the successes both in last year and in this year how valuable Art 14 has become. "Art14 is a young fair held at a relatively quiet time for the European international fairs calendar. It was buzzing with people including just about every important London collector, under the sun. This fair seemed popular and will find the correct balance of galleries through natural selection, dictated by the weak galleries not returning." (Artlyst) The festival allowed for the galleries around the world to exchange, inspire and share with culture and creativity but mainly can continue to contribute to the growth of event tourism in UK, locally and globally.

click here for video ↬ Art14 London First Night

Art fairs and tourism

“London is one of the most visited cities in the world. In terms of international visitor numbers it is comparable with some Far East destinations such as Hong Kong and Singapore but significantly outperforms other European cities“. (Tourism in London By Simon Kyte). It is a city, which combines a sense of history with creativity and a dynamic pop culture. As one of the most cosmopolitan and tolerant capitals in the world today, it attracts a genuine diversity of visitors. (World Cities Culture Forum 2014)

Nowadays, UKs capital plays host to several art fairs almost every month of the year. Some are gallery fairs where all the stands belong to established galleries representing their artists, the others are artist fairs, where the artists represent themselves. Both types attract visitors not only living in the area, but also from all around the world. According to World Cities Culture Forum 2014 also commercially oriented art fairs highly expanded in recent years, including the Frieze Art Fair, which is a major stop on the world’s visual art circuit to tourists and residents.

All art fairs not only promote the cities culture and help to build identity of places where they are being staged, but also help to reduce the impact of the cities seasonality. As already mentioned above, London hosts several art fairs every single month of the year apart from August, which is the month with the highest visitors numbers throughout the year. Although the capital seems busy all year-round, a quarterly data demonstrated by the International Passenger Survey presented by Simon Kyte shows, the differences between each season. „The first quarter of each year tends to have a lower number of trips, a lower number of nights spent in London and a lower spend than any trend series. Trip numbers and spend tend to be higher than trend in the second quarter but the number of nights tends to remain below trend. For nights, this is only reversed in the third quarter which is also the annual peak for both spend and trips. In the final quarter nights and trips tend to be below trend but spend remains above. Therefore there is a seasonal cyclicity in all three series but the pattern is actually different.“

Staging events such as Frieze Art Fair, Art14 or any other art fairs invites tourists to visit the city during the quiet, off-peek periods.