The Masterpiece London Art Fair

With the finest furniture, art, and jewellery, this is an unmissable event held at the height of London’s summer season. Set in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea with over 160 international exhibitors, The Masterpiece London Art Fair is a unique event that heralds the very best pieces from excellent creatives and collectors.

‘Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time,’ the theological writer, Thomas Merton, was known to say. Indeed this is reflected in the success of the Masterpiece London Art Fair, which opens on 27th June at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Visitors can expect to see rare and important Impressionist and Modernist paintings; absorbing presentations heralding British art and design, ravishing jewellery, fine furniture and antiques.

A work of art

Providing a glittering platform for innovative works of art, Masterpiece has established itself as the leading cross-collecting fair with the cream of London’s high society gathering each year to browse the exclusive displays. Paramount to the show’s success is the no-nonsense vetting process, ensuring that visitors can be confident in the level of excellence brought to the exhibition each year.

Image Credit: The Masterpiece London Art Fair

The quality and integrity of the exhibitors are carefully maintained, with each exhibitor considered by a team of over 150 leading international specialists including museum curators, conservators, auctioneers, dealers, and galleries. Twenty-seven individual Vetting Committees examine each piece in their own field to ensure that the exhibit is worthy of a place at Masterpiece.

What to see at the show

With so many splendid treasures to explore, how does an art-lover decide what to see and do first? There are certainly a few emerging exhibitors worth making a beeline for on arrival. Mayfair-based jewellers, Bentley & Skinner, has announced it will exhibit a selection of antique jewellery, including a number of key pieces by Carl Fabergé, Robert Phillips, Carlo Giuliano, and Alessandro Castellani.

Egyptian Revival Pharaoh Portrait Brooch by Carlo Giuliano via Bentley Skinner

Renowned champagne house, Perrier-Jouët, will be running a series of champagne master classes hosted by UK ambassador and champagne expert Jonathan Simms. Edward Hurst will exhibit an ancient but beautiful Romano/British wall mosaic from the early 4th Century AD found in a Roman Villa in Dorset.

Finally, head over to eighteenth-century English furniture expert Apter Fredericks, to see a pair of exquisitely made Chippendale Period Giltwood Brackets made in 1760.

Spectacular sculptures

Now in its 10th year, the show still keeps things fresh to keep returning visitors feeling enthralled. New to the event is Masterpiece’s first sculpture program, which has been delivered by Jo Baring, director of the Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art.

Pangolin, Susie MacMurray, Medusa – made from copper chainmail

The series will bring some of the most innovative and contemporary works to the forefront of the show and will include sculptures by Tony Cragg, Gary Hume, and Philippe Hiquily.

Each year, guests to the show are welcomed with an immersive art piece as they enter the fair. For 2019, expect to be dazzled by a sculptural installation by Phyllida Barlow – a leading British modern artist who is renowned for using plaster, cardboard, and cement in her projects.

Image Credit: Alex Delfanne; courtesy Hauser & Wirth; © the artist

Phyllida has collaborated with Hauser & Wirth to create a supersized, suspended ‘pom-pom’ piece comprising of about 20 balls of different lengths in a purpose-built timber structure, which is not to be missed. Groups of the works will be offered for £80,000-£175,000 through Hauser & Wirth.

Branching out to Asia

The future holds some exciting plans for the British show, which has announced its expansion to Asia in recent months. Masterpiece London will launch a ‘pavilion’ within the Fine Art Asia Fair in Hong Kong, which will open in October this year.

Image Credit: The Masterpiece London Art Fair

The Masterpiece Pavilion will bring 20 – 25 exhibitors to the show. To give a tantalising taste of what’s to come, Fine Art Asia will have a small presence at Masterpiece London in June 2019, with a group exhibition on a shared stand.

The Masterpiece Art Fair runs from the 27th June to the 3rd of July 2019. Tickets for the Masterpiece Show Preview are available to purchase at https://masterpiecefair.seetickets.com