Masterpiece London 2015 – The Best In Show
The art feeding frenzy for 2015 has well and truly begun, and in London the jewel in the crown of all this Croesusian buying and selling is the sixth edition of Masterpiece London 2015, in the grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea. This site has of course long been associated with the entertainment of the social elite, being the annual venue for the Chelsea Flower Show and formerly the legendary pleasure grounds of the Ranelagh Gardens of the 18th century.
As usual all this frenetic buying and selling of art, design and antiques happens simultaneously in two European cities: London and Basel. On the continent, the 46th edition of Art Basel is inexorably expanding to maintain its position as the world’s preeminent contemporary art fair, in the face of some fairly tough competition from Frieze London and New York. Meanwhile in London over the next two weeks every major art gallery, auction house and museum will attempt to dazzle the world’s super rich collectors with the display of their finest treasures ahead of London Art Week (3-10 July).
Masterpiece London – which was at first overlooked by some as a little too blingy – has effectively replaced the Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair. The latter had long been at the heart of the London collecting scene, but had just faded away as it hadn’t evolved with the times. The zeitgeist has been well and truly captured by this relatively new kid on the block.
This year at Masterpiece London 2015, over 150 of the world’s leading dealers representing the ‘three pillars’ of art, antiques and design, display their museum quality wares in an unzoned fashion over eight days. It is this attractive multi-category mix which is the most striking thing about the show. Next to a jewel encrusted intaglio of Atilla the Hun as a satyr, you will find a stunning painting by Robert Delaunay, a Riva speedboat and a chest of drawers by Garouste and Bonetti. This is a novel encounter with 4,000 years of world history in a wide range of creative human activity.
The eclecticism of the show is of course indicative of our increasingly eclectic contemporary culture. The market is simply responding to people’s wider awareness and tastes, as more and more collectors eschew collecting just one thing from one era, to lots of things from all eras. Unsurprisingly the decoration of their/our homes is also less historicist and also more eclectic than before. Far fewer people are going for a total museum look with architecture, decoration, art and furnishings all of a single period. Those that do prefer to live in this way are these days, more than likely to be victims of a sort of romantic mal d’ailleurs, nostalgically yearning for another age – a psychological coping mechanism in response to an alienation with contemporary culture.
Our homes and our collections reflect the broader culture that is mediated by the Internet just like everything less. Just as our musical tastes have broadened with the arrival of the iPod so we now all enjoy different ‘genres’ (when before you either liked say classical or pop), all of the ‘style’ boundaries between eras and cultures have also collapsed. It wasn’t that long ago that we talked about ‘high culture’ and ‘low culture’, and your education and wealth usually determined which you preferred. Such notions have also rapidly evaporated into a sort of Post Modern minestrone where ‘everything goes’ is the excitingly uninhibited new mantra.
Technology has also profoundly affected our understanding of what is ‘luxury’ in 2015 – the subject of an excellent exhibition at the V&A. Precious and rare metals and stones, expert craftsmanship and virtuoso artistic skills are vying for this increasingly complicated appellation with machine-made and mass-produced plastics, without a trace of a primary maker or designer. And what is striking is the relentlessness of the pace of change, which is once again owed to technology, ensuring that a dynamic culture flux is the new norm.
Meanwhile the arbiters of what constitutes luxury are of course no longer a small elite of royals and aristocrats – all with a similar taste and outlook. Their modern counterparts – the oligarchs – are of course also a small elite, but from very mixed and international backgrounds and mostly self-made. Value is determined by the open market, and art institutions act as impartial umpires – simply reflecting our choices, unable or unwilling to comment on quality, and in any case hamstrung by interested money-market sponsors. Culturally we certainly live in interesting times and only… UBS and Deutsche Bank etc knows where it will lead.
All of this fantastic and eclectic diversity is perfectly represented at Masterpiece London 2015, and if you’re wondering just how much money is swishing around in the big tent: Last year Masterpiece generated £100 million in sales and most of this was made on the £100-a-ticket preview day. A 1914 Cartier diamond corsage was sold at the preview for £12.5 million And the pressure was on for the preview this year, with exhibitors realising that this is their best opportunity to clinch a sale.
Here we present our pick of the best in show. A very challenging task as there are so many truly superlative pieces at this unique show of the best that – A LOT OF – money can buy.
CARPENTERS WORKSHOP GALLERY
3 Albemarle Street, London, United Kingdom. Also in Paris
Could you tell us something about your gallery?
At Carpenters Workshop Gallery we produce and exhibit functional sculptures by international rising and already established artists and designers. We work together to push their artistic output outside their traditional territories of expression.
I founded the gallery with Julien Lombrail in 2006, we have galleries in Mayfair, London and in the Marais district of Paris. Recently, we opened an 8,000 square metre research and development centre in Roissy, a suburb of Paris with a team of artisans with a variety of specialised skills. The centre provides a range of resources for artists and designers, for example the production of prototypes, the treatment and patination of metals such as bronze, silver and copper, carpentry and precious stone setting. There are all types of tools available and we are constantly inventing new ones for those that don’t exist. The centre is the backbone of our operation, and our mission to transcend classical borders in terms of art and design and standing at the intersection of these two universes: reaching a symbiosis of art and design.
Image: Founders of Carpenters Workshop Gallery Loic Le Gaillard and Julien Lombrail
Why do you exhibit at Masterpiece London?
We’ve exhibited at Masterpiece for many years. It makes sense to us as we started in Chelsea, in a former carpenter’s workshop, which is where the name came from, in fact. The fair has a great mix of the traditional and the contemporary, plus the setting of the Royal hospital building, steeped in history, is stunning. It is good to see collectors we know through our gallery in Mayfair, but also the fair is increasingly attracting visitors from around the world who are also interested in broadening their outlook on art, design and craftsmanship as a part of a cultural visit to London.
Image: CL – FLYOVER by Frederik Molenschot 2014 Bronze
What are the highlights of your stand this year at Masterpiece London?
This year the Carpenters Workshop Gallery booth will be dedicated to the work of Ingrid Donat, including new works created at the designer’s new studio at Carpenters Workshop Roissy, the artist works with a team of artisans to push the artistic and technical boundaries of her creation process. The beginning of this research centre was the closure of the Blanchet-Landowski foundry with which Ingrid Donat had worked for decades. When it went into liquidation we took over the assets and a large part of the team joined us in Roissy as we wanted to keep its heritage alive and hold onto these skills and know-how. As well as new works by Ingrid Donat we will exhibit those from recent years such as ‘Commode Galuchat’, which takes its name from the texture of shagreen known as ‘galuchat’ in French. Ingrid Donat turns to this material as inspiration for the circular markings found on the unusual texture of shagreen, a variety of fish skin that was often incorporated into Art Deco pieces. The circular patterns are also inspired by the paintings of Gustav Klimt. The creation of these works that are limited to eight editions take a lot of time and a high level of technical ability. The intricate engraving is added to the bronze surface using a lost wax technique. Ingrid Donat draws the pattern onto wax panels which are then applied to the bronze. The removal of the wax leaves the pattern etched into the surface. We’ll also show ‘Artbook Console’, a bronze work that incorporates the use of parchment, another reference to Art Deco as it was a material often used in this era, although rarely used today, which Ingrid uses to great effect.
Image: COMMODE AUX 5 ENGRENAGES (GRANDE MODELE) by Ingrid Donat 2013 Bronze
What makes a masterpiece and what does the word mean to you?
To me a masterpiece is a work that the artist or designer has put everything of themselves into in order to reach their vision of perfection. We work closely with the artists and designers we represent to make sure that they have everything they need to create in a physical form, exactly what they’ve imagined. If it’s not perfect we start again, no matter how long it takes (even if it takes several years).
Image: ARTBOOK CONSOLE Ingrid Donat 2011 Bronze, parchment
What’s your tip for the budding collector?
Stay focused. There are so many beautiful objects at Masterpiece, it’s easy to get distracted and forget what you came for!
Image: BIG HEAVY by RON ARAD 1989 Painted and waxed mild steel
MALLETT
Ely House,37 Dover Street, London, United Kingdom. Also in New York
Could you tell us something about your gallery?
Mallett is a 150 year old antiques house with galleries in Mayfair and the Upper East Side in New York. We source exceptional pieces of decorative arts from all periods for international collectors and museums alike.
Images: Dinosaur, A Deep Blue Manaus and A Green Stromboli by Lino Tagliapietra
Why do you exhibit at Masterpiece London?
We are the co-founders of Masterpiece. After the closure of Grosvenor House, we wanted to give London a fresh, elegant, and exciting fair. As dealers, Masterpiece allows us to present our finest pieces to some of the world’s most astute collectors. It is very exciting!.
Image: Lino Tagliapietra Dinosaur Twist Detail
What are the highlights of your stand this year at Masterpiece London?
Our most important highlight this year is the work of Lino Tagliapietra, Murano’s most adventurous and most talented glass blower. At 81, Lino still blows challenging and colourful pieces of the finest quality, and most pieces we are presenting have been created in the last twelve months. We are terribly honoured to offer his work.
Images: Work of Lino Tagliapietra
What makes a masterpiece and what does the word mean to you?
We are obsessed with the combination of great design, great material, and great craftsmanship. When these three qualities are married with intelligence and flair, it creates captivating pieces which you take pleasure in rediscovering everyday.
Image: NAUTILUS by Lino Tagliapietra Detail
What’s your tip for the budding collector?
Go out to the galleries, the museums, and the fairs as much as possible. The more you look at and the more learn about the artists and the periods, the better prepared you are to fall in love and collect wonderful pieces.
Images: Work of Lino Tagliapietra
PETER PETROU
27 Church Crescent , Church End, London, United Kingdom
Could you tell us something about your gallery?
Peter Petrou has been established in London for 40 years and the excitement of the learning process and the wide range of interests of the partners has meant that the dealership has gradually evolved to encompass a huge variety of works of art from many cultures and periods in history including, over the last 10 years, some very exciting contemporary designs.
Image: JELLYFISH IN GLASS by Stefan Dam
Why do you exhibit at Masterpiece London?
It is paramount for us to be able to curate our exhibitions to include the complete range of works of art and design. This is something that is very much appreciated by Masterpiece, who, unusually, do not divide the Fair according to disciplines. We have in the past enjoyed the company of dealers in Paintings, Miniatures, Antiquities and this year our neighbours are specialists in Medieval works of art.
I believe that this approach to exhibitions encourages those people who may or may not already be collectors but are certainly interested, willing to learn, adaptable and above all excited by the possibilities offered at the fair.
Image: Renaissance Carved Rhinoceros Horn Dragon. Between 1580 and 1620
What are the highlights of your stand this year at Masterpiece London?
We have a number of things about which we are excited this year and because they are from such diverse cultures and historical periods it is very difficult to say what is The Highlight. Obviously the prototype gorilla by Auzoux is a fascinating and historically important object but glancing down at him from the other side of the stand is the naked life-size Virginal, a portrait by Dod Proctor whose gaze both impressed and unnerved the public when it was unveiled in 1929. A very late edition to the exhibition this year is an extremely rare, Renaissance carved rhinoceros horn dragon dating from between 1580 and 1620. It is exquisitely carved with a flowing composition and enormous strength, a powerful and unique work of art.
Images: Virginal by Dod Proctor. The Life Size Pototype of a Great African Gorilla Modelled by Dr. Auzoux in 1863.
What makes a masterpiece and what does the word mean to you?
There are many ways of judging works of art and it is obviously subjective, however, regardless of the culture from which an object originates we must see in it that extra spark: the perfection of line and surface in an Enignum creation by Joseph Walsh, a Papua New Guinea stone adze blade or a Japanese ivory Bachi; the exquisite craftsmanship in a woven African Lozi basket or Indonesian palm fibre hat.
Whatever the object, we have to recognise in it exceptional design, execution and artistic endeavour.
What’s your tip for the budding collector?
Always buy from the heart. You are looking for something that you wish to live with, that will continue to give you pleasure, that may expand your horizons or lead you on to discovery. Enjoy the experience.
Image: Peter & Leonora Petrou
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88-GALLERY PARIS/ HONG KONG
25 Quai Voltaire, Paris, France. Also in Hong Kong.
Could you tell us something about your gallery?
88 Gallery specializes in modern and contemporary design with a particular focus on precious and rare materials. From turquoise to amber or pyrite to gold, you may consider us a hybrid of gallery and jeweller. We place a very high value on skilled craftsmanship. We are responsible for most of the work created at our ateliers. We also present a strong selection of the best designs from across the world. The gallery is based in Hong Kong and Paris.
Why do you exhibit at Masterpiece London?
Masterpiece is very special because of its eclecticism. Seeing something that sparks new interest makes it more memorable. You could still be talking about a special piece you saw or a new discovery you made long after the fair ends. The quality of Masterpiece also makes it unique. It is a very special platform for exhibitors to interact with visitors.
Image: Turquoise “Trapezium” Cabinet
What are the highlights of your stand this year at Masterpiece London?
We are displaying exclusive works by Kam Tin. These are remarkably fine and unusual pieces of furniture decorated in gemstones. The centerpiece of our stand is a tall cabinet encased in Baltic amber cut into cabochons. Every piece gives off a special charm because of their striking colours and natural opulence.
Image: Amber Cabinet
What makes a masterpiece and what does the word mean to you?
A masterpiece has to be something unique. Not only that but something which makes you think and provoke some sort of emotion. You might wonder how an artist created a certain piece or how they managed to capture people’s attention. I think any great work needs to stand the test of time and even reshape it. With every piece we display, we try to set this benchmark of “Masterpiece”.
What’s your tip for the budding collector?
Be as outgoing as possible. Attend auctions, art fairs, museums and visit new galleries too. You can ask many questions at these venues, Where did something come from? Where has it been exhibited? You may even have the chance to speak to the artist themselves about their work. Art fairs are great because you have a lot of galleries and great works all in the same place and at the same time. Auction houses also post a lot of information too.
Image: Adrian Choi
ANTHONY OUTRED LTD
72-74 Pimlico Road, London, United Kingdom
Could you tell us something about your gallery?
We source stand-out Works of Art and Furniture from the great civilisations of Europe and the East. Established for 40 years, we are recognised worldwide as specialists in exceptional Furniture, Works of Art and Sculpture. We offer professional advice on furnishing with antiques and building collections, for which we source items from private estates, other galleries or auction houses. This service extends to advising clients on prospective auction purchases and arranging restoration and shipping where necessary.
We are also London’s leading stockists of antique door furniture, a department which has become a mecca for international architects and interior designers.
Images: Laura After Canova Rome Circa 1820s. Anthony Outred.
Why do you exhibit at Masterpiece London?
Masterpiece London provides the ultimate platform for exceptional pieces of museum quality.
Image: Japanese Maki-e Red Lacquer Coffer
What are the highlights of your stand this year at Masterpiece London?
A probably unique pair of 18th century Chinese Bureau Cabinets in Huanghuali. A massive Japanese Maki-e Coffer with exquisite lacquer.
What makes a masterpiece and what does the word mean to you?
A supreme work by a master craftsman.
Image: A Rock Crystal Intaglio Cameo of Attila the Hun in the Guise of a Satyr c.1700
What’s your tip for the budding collector?
Look East.
BASED UPON
4–8 Swan Road, London, United Kingdom.
Could you tell us something about your gallery?
Based Upon is a London artists’ studio working at the front line of British creative enterprise, delivering a pioneering approach to making commissioned art-work, unique objects and design pieces.
Based Upon’s creative process involves an evolving dialogue between artist and commissioning client, with each resulting work growing from an exchange of inspirations, ideas and memories to become a truly personal and inimitable legacy piece, priceless to those for whom it is made. Based Upon’s own edition works explore, through sculptural furniture pieces and fine art works, the sublime bond between man and nature.
Based Upon is a family company established in 2004 by twin brothers Ian and Richard Abell, who founded it on an ethos of open exploration and a commitment to continuous innovation. On this basis, over a dynamic decade, the brothers have built a rich and visionary team of 45 artists, craftspeople and designers, who work together with an international network of creative specialists to bring to life groundbreaking art and design works for clients around the world.
Image: The Dimond
Why do you exhibit at Masterpiece London?
Masterpiece London is a point of convergence for the international art and design worlds, which makes it the perfect platform for Based Upon to celebrate a decade of work. Our work defies categorisation: it resonates with the intuitive expression of art, and is realised with the diligent discipline of design. We are practitioners in the art of story-telling through bespoke design and exceptional craftsmanship, and will be celebrating 10 years of conceptual and technical exploration at Masterpiece London 2015.
Image: The Birth of Tramazite (2015)
What are the highlights of your stand this year at Masterpiece London?
We are presenting a new collection of sculpture exclusively at Masterpiece London. Our work has frequently examined notions of entirety and fragmentation. Now, drawing on a decade of experience, our new body of work explores a journey from oneness through division and back.
We are also presenting a study of past and future commissioned works. This exposes the oblique strategy and evolving dialogues involved in creating unique legacy pieces for our clients. As a central piece, we are presenting, through documentary film, literature, developmental work and maquettes, ‘A Grain of Rice’: This, Based Upon’s first monumental work of public sculpture, was commissioned to mark the 150th anniversary of HSBC.
What makes a masterpiece and what does the word mean to you?
For Based Upon, creating a masterpiece means crafting a commissioned work for our client that is entirely their own; which they have had a part in creating; which tells their personal story; and which comes to bear a story of its own.
The objects we hold dearest to us are invariably those to which we are bound by the stories behind them. Creating a masterpiece for our client means capturing their vision, and realising a work that will become a legacy piece, to be treasured and handed to the next generation.
Image: If I Had Known Then What I Know Now – British Isles
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GORDON WATSON LTD
28 Pimlico Road, London, United Kingdom.
Could you tell us something about your gallery?
I first opened my Gallery with my partner Lewis Kaplan originally at 50 Fulham Road SW3 some 30 odd years ago. Lewis decided to retire so I became the sole owner about 20 years ago and moved to the Pimlico Road 7 years ago.
Image: Robsjohn Gibbings, A pair of walnut and upholstered slipper chairs, circa 1950
Why do you exhibit at Masterpiece London?
I exhibit at Masterpiece London as it has become the premier Fair in Europe. I respect the fact that it has adapted to an ever increasingly sophisticated market place whose demanding clientele require the highest quality but with an edge, a certain quirkiness to it. Where else would you find a dealer selling an incredibly rare Golkonda diamond next to a stand exhibiting a piece of furniture designed by one of our greatest architects Zaha Hadid?
Image: A Pair of Sterling Silver and Rock Crystal Table Lamps Paul Belvoir
What are the highlights of your stand this year at Masterpiece London?
This year as usual we are exhibiting stunning examples of a silversmith of world renown Paul Belvoir, whose work I have exclusively represented for the past 25 years. We are showing for the first time in England glass vases by a great glass designer and glass blower Kojitani Hiroshi whom I discovered on a recent trip to Japan and a collection of handthrown vases by the much respected but little known Irish potter John ffrench. We are offering some wonderful examples of 1950s -1960s furniture including such names as Mangiarotti, Robsjohn Gibbings, Gaetano Sciolari. We are also hanging the largest work on paper by the acclaimed artist Michael Landy, H.2.N.Y. Homage to New York, 2007 oil stick on paper, along with a vibrant tapestry by the legendary Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, a monumental red lacquered glass mirror by Barovier, circa 1940, from the Palazzo Piovere in Venice, and lamps and ceiling lights by Venini and Fontana Arte.
Image: A Wool Tapestry by Takashi Murakami ‘Pink Time’.
What makes a masterpiece and what does the word mean to you?
A masterpiece in my opinion is not necessarily judged by its monetary value. Rather it is the embodiment of an artist’s oeuvre or a reflection on a certain period of time in terms of artistic merit. It can be the greatest painting by Cy Twombly or truly beautiful pottery vase by the little known master John ffrench.
What’s your tip for the budding collector?
My tip for the budding collector is to buy the best you can afford. Let both your head and your heart guide you… and oh almost forgot… come and see me!!
Images: Gordon Watson. A Polychrome Glass Vase Fulvio Bianconi, c 1950
GEOFFREY DINER GALLERY
1730 21st Street, Washington, DC United States.
Could you tell us something about your gallery?
We are a diversified gallery that focuses on both fine and decorative arts, with an orientation toward Post WWII modern art as well as pre and post war decorative arts by major architects and designers. We have been in the business for 30+ years.
Why do you exhibit at Masterpiece London?
Masterpiece London provides a unique opportunity, it has quickly emerged as one of the most important fairs in the world, in part owing to its concept of masterpieces from any era with no limitations or timeframes. This venue mixes and matches dealers from all genres so the audience is continually surprised and may see how art and design from various cultures and periods, when well mixed, complement each other. We have always focused on mixing elements to create an environment that doesn’t necessarily exclude a collector’s particular passion.
Image: John Hoyland, Untitled, 1969
What are the highlights of your stand this year at Masterpiece London?
Everything is a highlight. We have a great red Nicolas de Staël entitled Ciel Rouge, from 1954, his late works considered his best. Continuing the red theme, we also have an unseen John Hoyland painting, from what I think is his best period- the late 60’s. They complement each other with an abstract expressionist vocabulary.
We also showcase a little surprise, a rare art neon sculpture by Pier Paolo Calzolari. These and a few other artworks will complement a few special design items, including a great sculpture by Lucien Gaillard (France) from 1905, a large bronze Rhinoceros Beetle Vase. Rounding the stand out are a couple of important pieces by George Nakashima, one of the American masters for wood working in the 20th century, one being a free edged wall mounted cabinet and the other a spectacular weighty coffee table.
Image: Rhinoceros Beetle Vase c 1905
What makes a masterpiece and what does the word mean to you?
I guess that is subject to one’s eye. Having looked at many beautiful things over the years I think I’ve learned to decipher what should not be called a masterpiece. Personally, I would define a masterpiece as something that, upon being observed, delights the eye initially and delights it more increasingly as it stimulates the mind. That said, a masterpiece may have a quality that develops over time, and with patience and an open mind, speaks to you with a provocative view point that reveals itself slowly and may have a permanent impact. Sometimes a great work opens up a new perspective in the viewer, and has deeper meaning than what you get at a first glance.
Image: Ciel Rouge by Nicolas de Stael
What’s your tip for the budding collector?
If you’re a new collector, find an area you’re interested in and research it to some degree. If you have a specific artist in mind, research more thoroughly and call more than one expert.
Images: Geoffrey Diner
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