Animal Magic 19th May, 2009

Though nothing quiet compares with the joy of watching an elephant paint, animals portrayed in art do come pretty close.

Here are a few examples of the animal inspired pieces that will be winging their way to the Olympia Fair.

The Gilded Lily is bringing a beautifully worked parrot, coated in gems. With diamonds defining its feathers, a beak made out of coral and an emerald eye.

Whilst Galerie Pierre M. Dumonteil is showing a predatory ‘Sniffing Panther’. A Bronze, circa 130 from the Susse foundry, poised in the action of tasting the air.

Martin Murray will bring a naive pigeon painting. Oil on canvas, and signed by Andrew Beer. While Jorge Welsh is showing an incense burner from the Ming dynasty — 16th century — in the form of a Buddhist lion, which opens its mouth in order to let the smoke escape.

China in London 18th May, 2009

Art from China is well represented at the Olympia International Fair, both contemporary and antique, with Goedhuis Gallery, opening a gallery in London in May, exhibiting the works of Yang Yangping, the leading female painter of her generation in China at the fair.

Textile dealer Jacqueline Simcox brings her beautiful, museum standard Chinese silk tapestries, embroideries and brocades to the fair. Originally made for the Chinese court and aristocracy, these intricately made works of art date from the 15th-19th century.

Vanderven & Vanderven will be showing an extremely rare plaster figure of a dignitary as well as a set of blue and white china from the Kangxi period, this exquisite set was once owned by JP Morgan and recorded in the New York Times.

Gibson Antiques will be showing a pair of exceptional ‘tiger hunt’ blue and white vases and covers, c1730, originating from an ancient French chateau.

English Furniture at Olympia 17th May, 2009

Beedham Antiques is displaying a rare set of six English Baroque wall plaques of Old Testament scenes commissioned for Wynnstay House, Denbyshire c 1759.

Lucy Johnson is exhibiting an extremely rare, museum quality, Cromwellian oak, trestle gate leg table. A comparative example in oak and cedar survives in Ham House

Butchoff, a long standing exhibitor at the fair, will show some of the finest quality 18th and 19th century English furniture.

London based exhibitor Patrick Sandberg will sell a pair of chairs taken from the library of Agatha Christie’s beloved holiday home in Devon.

Christopher Clarke will sell a range of antique campaign taken abroad by the British Military in the 19th century.

Continental Furniture at the Fair 16th May, 2009

Adrian Alan will bring together for the first time ever, the key pieces from Francois Linke’s Gold Medal winning stand at the Paris Exposition Universelle, 1900. Displayed together with original source material and objects from the ‘Linke Archive’, this showcase will include such exceptional items as ‘La Grande Bibliotheque’ and ‘Le Grand Bureau’.

Pelham will show a famous courtesan’s bed; attributed to Claude-Nicolas Ledoux and believed to have been supplied to Marie-Madeleine Guimard, the leading ballerina of the Paris Opera during Louis XVI’s reign.

Carlton Hobbs will display a pair of tables from the Palazzo Colonna which, by family tradition, are believed to have been designed by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, famed for his views of Rome. In addition, a German 18th century Metamorphic Secretiare disguised in cork to appear as a ruin, reflecting Grand Tour collectors’ passion for bringing romantic ruins back to their homes from their travels in Europe.

David Foord-Brown will be showing furniture from the home of Norman Hartnell, dressmaker and designer to the Royal Family, including a magnificent pair of candelabra c1880, which often appeared in Hartnell’s studio photographs, forming a fitting backdrop to his glamorous and extravagant designs.

Bedazzled 15th May, 2009

Stunning jewellery from antiquity to the present day will be on show at the fair. The renowned Swiss exhibitor Grima, who has designed jewellery for the Queen, Jackie Kennedy and Marc Jacobs to name a few, will display a diverse selection of pieces from the sixties and seventies up to the present day.

Whilst the Dutch jewellery dealer Jan van Kranendonk, is showing a girl on ivory, circa 1880, by respected Italian goldsmith Giuliano.

Exhibitor 21st Century Jewels are bringing a magnificent coral, onyx and diamond Modernist pendant by Rene Boivin, circa 1927, while Didier Antiques will show a silver and gold bangle from the 40s designed by the Italian painter Gino Severini which is seemingly made by overlapping sheets of silver held together by gold screws. Van Den Bosch will show a Jugendstil gold brooch circa 1902, a gold winged insect, set with turquoise, opal ruby and pearl with green plique-a-jour on the edge of the wings.

The Gilded Lily will be bringing a charming parrot brooch, with diamonds resting in his feathers, an emerald eye and a coral beak, while Jessica McCormack will bring ‘Strike One’, a single earring shaped like a lightening bolt, with graduated diamonds weighing 1.90 carats in total.

Lucas Rarities comes to the fair with a range of stunning art nouveau and art deco jewellery pieces including diamond encrusted creations from French jewellery making dynasty Boucheron and German jewellers Schleife.

Art at Olympia 14th May, 2009

A vast range of outstanding 18th, 19th and 20th century paintings are represented by dealers such as Lucy Johnson, who will sell works by Graham Sutherland and Paul Nash, and Whitford Fine Art, who will exhibit a series of works by Polish abstract artist Caziel. London based dealers Austin Desmond will bring classic modern British and Contemporary work including outstanding British Landscape painters Ivon Hitchens and Terry Frost.

Strachan Fine Art, specialising in 19th century paintings, will exhibit several portraits by the Scottish Romantic painter Raeburn, including a portrait of Maria Sophia Abercromby c1811 which was bought by a partner in JP Morgan in 1917.

Finally, Trinity House Fine Art will exhibit a remarkable Renoir painting, originally owned by Ambrose Vollard, who was considered to be one of the most important dealers in contemporary French art at the beginning of the twentieth century. Entitled Coco au Ruban Rose and painted in 1905, it depicts the artist’s beloved third son Claude described by his elder brother Jean as ‘one of the most prolific inspirations my father ever had’.

The Tudors at Olympia 13th May, 2009

With the recent Channel 4 TV series Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant and the British Library’s guest curated exhibition Man & Monarch, David Starkey seems to have single handedly brought back the Tudor fever that began with Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl and reached its peak with Showtime’s run of The Tudors on BBC2. Here at Olympia we’ve been having our own run of Tudor faces, with the portraits of Sir William Cecil, Elizabeth I’s chief advisor, and Henry Carey, her Warden of the East Marshes (as well as being Henry VIII’s illegitimate child, whose mother was the aforementioned other Boleyn girl). The Times David Starkey writes on his search for the real Henry Tudor for the Times. British Library Henry VIII: Man and Monarch is at the British Library, April 23 to September 6.

Think positive, invest in art! 12th May, 2009

“There is nothing like art as an investment if you only know what to buy and when to sell” says an article published in the Pall Mall Gazette the 16th of June 1890. 

Almost 120 years later this idea is still having the same impact on art lovers, dealers and experts as shown by the articles linked below. Have a look to see that quality pieces of art and reliable art events can be a great investment despite the credit crunch!

New York Times

The New York Times analyses the buoyancy on the antiques market for high-price items during the credit crunch. Investors are using these high-ticket items in place of stocks and shares.

New Orleans City Business

New Orleans City Business comments on the current trend of investing in art as a more secure investment than more traditional avenues.

Financial Times

The Financial Times comments on the surprisingly large bids in the Sotheby’s salerooms.

New and Returning Exhibitors 12th May, 2009

We are delighted to welcome back to the Fair after a break from exhibiting with us Bourne Gallery Ltd, Adrian Alan Ltd, Michael Goedhuis, Alderson and Wijermars.

Some of the other names you will see at the Fair include the Aardewerk Brothers, Amherst Antiques, Architectural Heritage, Austin Desmond, Brian Watson, Claudia Hill, David Bedale, Dinan and Chighine, Lucy Johnson, Geoffrey Stead, Gibson Antiques, Mark West, J Roger Antiques, John Howard, Julian Hartnoll, Laura Bordignon, Joss Graham, Jacqueline Simcox, Wick Antiques, Richard Price and Smith & Robinson.

Amongst the newcomers who we are very pleased to welcome for the first time are Ar’them, Rogers and Carroll, Sphinx Fine Art, Grima, The Little Black Gallery, Lucas Rarities, Carlton Hobbs and the Ravenscourt Gallery

All exhibitors are listed on the website: www.olympiaartsinternational.com

Exhibitors at this year’s Fair 11th May, 2009

We now have over 200 exhibitors committed to the Fair, an exciting blend of newcomers together with familiar names, and more are still coming in. These include Butchoff, Lennox Cato, Wakelin and Linfield, Pelham, Christopher Clarke, Chevertons, Robert Young, Jorge Welsh, Campbell Wilson, Whitford Fine Art, Pierre Dumonteil, Max Rollitt, Humbleyard, Peter Edwards, Anthea, Robert Barley, Gordon Watson, Anthony James, Marilyn Garrow and S&J Stodel.

Amongst those on the Gallery are Beedham Antiques, Willow Gallery, Holly Johnson, David Pickup, Charles Plante, David Levi, Martin Murray, Kaye Michie, Mary Cooke, Jan van Kranendonk and Carolyn Stoddart-Scott to name but a few.

Amongst the newcomers we are delighted to welcome to Olympia as exhibitors are Alberto di Castro, the Tomasso brothers, Steinitz and Jean Luc Baroni.