London art fair
The London Art Fair, which opens today in Islington, bulges with works by British artists from Ben Nicholson and Lucian Freud to Damien Hirst and Julian Opie.
A skull by Hirst, silver with a black patina, is on offer for 35,000 pounds (US$61,700) by gallery owner Paul Stolper. A Freud etching of a male nude costs 20,000 pounds at Marlborough Fine Art. An abstract William Scott painting, “Permutation Orange,” is 375,000 pounds at the Richard Green gallery.
“City people tend to buy blue-chip 20th-century works,” said Martin Whatley, general manager at Richard Green. “They have contemporary houses that need contemporary art and they need to know they’re buying works of substantial standard and value.”
The fair, in its 18th year, has been overtaken by Frieze Art Fair, which sells international works to celebrity buyers. Still, London Art Fair is sticking to British art and is hoping to beat last year’s sales, said Jonathan Burton, the director.
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