Destination London: The Masterpiece Fair is set to impress this June

27 May 2010 - by ArtfixDaily Staff

click to enlarge

George III marquetry inlaid box. Apter-Fredericks.

The demise of the 75-year-old Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair last year perhaps paved the way for a new summer showcase for objects of desire: Masterpiece Fair 2010 London.

Organizers plan to offer more than the traditional fair offerings of antiques and fine art. Wine, jewelry, contemporary design, and vintage cars are set to lure high-rollers to the former Chelsea Barracks venue.

Top-tier exhibitors range from Fabergé specialist A La Vielle Russie, of New York, to London clock purveyors Raffety & Walwyn.

Among the fair's highlights will be a 1932 Bugatti, which is being displayed by car specialist Coys with a price tag of £3 million. It may be bargain. A few weeks ago, a Bugatti, albeit the highly-desirable Art Deco-style 1936 Type 57SC Atlantic, reportedly sold for the mind-boggling price of $30 million.

Harry Apter, of 18th-century English furniture specialist Apter-Fredericks, says his must-see item will be a magnificent ormolu table covered in gilded bronze, tortoise shell, and ebony with a leather top.

Masterpiece Fair runs June 24 to 29. The month features a host of auctions, exhibitions, and events such as the relaunched London International Fine Art Fair at Olympia which opens for ten days beginning June 3.

More News Feed Headlines

Julien Hudson, 1811-1844 American. Creole Boy With A Moth, 1835, oil on canvas, courtesy of a private collection; photo courtesy of Fodera Fine Art Conservation, Ltd.

First Retrospective of Early African American Artist Julien Hudson at Worcester Art Museum

A groundbreaking exhibition opened Dec. 9 at the Worcester Art Museum entitled “In Search of Julien Hudson: Free Artist of Color in Pre-Civil War New Orleans.” Julien Hudson (1811-1844) is the second-earliest documented portrait painter of African descent to work in the United States. Little-known today, Hudson died an untimely, somewhat mysterious death, and only fragments of his oeuvre survive to tell his story.

'May,' by Alexander Motyl, $25/month to rent ($550 to buy), artsicle.com.

Virtual Art Buying Gets a Boost From New Websites

A bevy of new online ventures are helping to streamline the process of buying art for both beginners and established collectors, facilitating keyboard-click access to information and galleries.

An installation view of the new Tuscaloosa Museum of Art: Home of the Westervelt Collection.

New Tuscaloosa Museum of Art to Showcase Important American Art

Last week, the Tuscaloosa Museum of Art opened its doors, finally giving a home to the art collection assembled by Jack Warner. Earlier this year, the Jack Warner Foundation and Westervelt Company separated, leaving the fate undetermined as to where their respective collections would be housed. Several key works were sold by the Westervelt Co. at auction and privately. Now, more than 800 pieces...

Portrait of a Man and Woman in an Interior, painted about 1666, by Eglon van der Neer (Dutch, 1634–1703). Oil on panel. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Seth K. Sweetser Fund.

Museum Curator as Art Detective

At the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Victoria Reed is the first and only endowed curator of provenance at an American museum. Since 2010, her role has been to research objects in the museum's collections, and new acquisitions, in order to determine the right of ownership. At times, Reed's findings have led to restitution...