Masterpiece London · let the (art market) party go on

After Art Basel, BRAFA and TEFAF, Masterpiece London continues the carousel of art fairs in Europe. Open from 30 June to 6 July 2022, the fair showcases examples of fine and decorative arts from antiquity to the present day.

By G. Fernández · theartwolf.com · Images: “Rest in the Flight into Egypt” (1758) by Pompeo Batoni (Gallery Alessandra Di Castro) ·· “Abstraktes Bild (562-2)” (1984), by Gerhard Richter (Gallery Vertes)

Among the Ancient Art on display at the fair, David Aaron presents a Roman bust, possibly depicting Lucius Verus. Standing out among the various examples of Old Masters paintings, Alessandra Di Castro exhibits a very fine “Rest on the Flight into Egypt” (1758) by Pompeo Batoni. Steve Sly Japanese Art exhibits a good selection of Japanese art, including a late 19th century (Meiji period) figure depicting a sailor fighting a huge octopus.

In terms of Modern Western art, Gladwell & Patterson is exhibiting “Les Peupliers“, painted in 1898 by Gustave Loiseau, priced at £425,000. The work is similar to other “Peupliers” by the same artist auctioned four years ago at Christie’s for $396,000. Galerie Henze & Ketterer & Triebold presents a group of paintings by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, founder of the Expressionist group “Die Brücke“. Opera Gallery presents a portrait of Dora Maar by Pablo Picasso, a small (41 x 30.6 cm) oil and gouache on canvas (1942), the price of which has not been made public. Alan Wheatley Art is exhibiting a small bronze by Henry Moore, while The Sladmore Gallery is doing the same with a small “Bon Genie” by Auguste Rodin.

Looking for Contemporary Art, Vertes exhibits some of the most valuable works of the fair, such as “Abstraktes Bild (562-2)” (1984), one of Gerhard Richter‘s typical abstractions, which is priced at 4.5 million euros; or “Imperfect Painting” (1987) by Roy Lichtenstein, which is offered for €1.6 million. Vertes also exhibits “The Sea“, a small ink drawing by Yayoi Kusama created in 1952, an important period in the artist’s career. The aforementioned Opera Gallery is showing “Poinsettia“, a small work painted in 1982 by Andy Warhol. Some of the most spectacular works at the fair are the colossal landscapes by John Meyer on display at the stand of Everard Read.

The fair includes, of course, very fine examples of furniture and decorative arts, such as a George I style walnut cabinet, which Anthony Outred defines as “an important addition to the ‘corpus’ of early 18th century English walnut furniture“. In addition, Masterpiece London distinguishes itself from other art fairs by including examples of “natural art“, beautiful minerals (aquamarines, tourmalines…), many of which are on display at the Fine Minerals International stand, as well as the skull of a triceratops exhibited by the aforementioned David Aaron.