London Art Fair Wrap-Up

The Art Newspaper gives a good rundown of the mood and sales at London Art Fair:

Of the 116 galleries, showing contemporary and British modern art, 86% were returning from 2009. “Work is selling, but people are taking their time,” said London dealer Rebecca Hossack. “It was a frenzy in 2009 with four of us on the stand [….]” According to the latest figures, the British economy sunk by 4.8% in 2009, the country’s biggest contraction since 1921, though the final quarter of 2009 saw a small upturn. This translated in real terms to lower price points at the fair.

Gordon Samuel of the London gallery Osborne Samuel, who sold British artist Peter Lanyon’s Unitled, 1963, for around £20,000. London’s Paisnel Gallery, which was exhibiting postwar and St Ives artists, also reported mid-range sales that included a stone sculpture by British artist Denis Mitchell, Skiddaw, 1974. It went to a British client for £22,500

British artist John Piper’s rare early gouache and collage Still Life, 1933, which sold from London dealer Offer Waterman’s stand with an asking price of £55,000. Three other works sold between £16,000 and £28,000, the latter for a portrait by rising London star Diarmuid Kelley. Waterman also had a double reserve on British artist William Scott’s Frying Pan and Eggs, 1950, priced at £675,000.