In Issue #22, BLAST covers the Edinburgh based auction house Lyon & Turnbull’s recent offering of the late banker Bernard Kelly’s art collection, London Art Fair’s report on the Modern British market, the Paule Vézelay retrospective at the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol, and reveals the identity of the Vorticist seller covered in BLAST #6.
Read the full issue via the link in bio.
#BLAST ModernBritishArt #Artauction #Artauctionnews #PauleVezelay #Vorticist #Bomberg #DameLauraKnight
Happy New Year 🍾
2024 was a wonderful year for British Art Fair and we look forward to seeing you again at @saatchi_gallery from 25 - 28 September 2025.
Wishing all our galleries, visitors, partners and artists a joyful new year.
#BritishArtFair #BritishArt #ModernBritishArt #ContemporaryBritishArt
Looking for something to read in between Christmas and the New Year? BLAST recently published the final Art Market Report of the year, with a review of Bonhams Modern British sale on 20 November. The hammer total of £1.6 million only just scraped the lower end of the target estimate of £1.6 – 2.5 million, though this was due largely to the failure of two slightly weak Lowry paintings that failed to sell in the £200,000 range.
Otherwise, the 80% sell through rate by lot was healthy, and saw strong prices for Paul Nash’s 1919 watercolour Early Spring, Fulmer, which sold to a phone bidder for a triple estimate £95,650, and a group of Duncan Grant flower paintings which all exceeded estimates in the £10,000 – 30,000 range. One of dahlias in a yellow jug which is still at Charleston, had last been at auction in 1999 when it sold for £4,400 to David Messum who sold it to the current vendor. Hopefully they made a decent return after it sold for £32,000.
The sale was led by Barbara Hepworth’s small polished bronze Miniature Divided Circle, 1971, which soared over an £80,000 estimate to sell for £254,400, and close behind were a group of Patrick Herons which all sold comfortably. Led by a darkly luminous 1964 abstract, Manganese, Ultramarine and Indigo, it hit a top estimate £190,900, and an earlier semi-figurative French Café, 1950, which sold above estimate for £165,500 – making the Sotheby’s unsold Heron in their early November sale look more like the result of a miscalculated estimate than a weakness in the Heron market.
Read the full report via the link in bio.
#ModernBritishArt #Artauction #Artauctionnews #britishartfair #britishart #PaulNash #DuncanGrant #BarbaraHepworth #PatrickHeron
British Art Fair 2024 saw the launch of PIVOTAL: Digitalism, marking the first time a UK art fair has dedicated an entire section to digital art. Curated by @rebekahtolleygeorgiou, the ‘Digitalists’ who exhibited in the section reflect a pivotal moment in the rapid expansion of digital technologies, which are having a profound effect on contemporary art and culture.
If you missed PIVOTAL: Digitalism at British Art Fair this year or would like to revisit any of the innovative art on show, head to our link in bio to explore the exhibition via a virtual tour, built by @vlge_ and discover the artists defining the Digitalist movement.
To invest in the ‘Digitalists’ at British Art Fair, and start building your digital art collection, please direct any sales queries to [email protected]
#britishartfair #contemporarybritishart #digitalart #digitalsculpture #AI #AR #VR ##modernart #contemporaryart
A few of our favourite moments from the Collectors’ Preview and Friday Late at British Art Fair 2024.
It was wonderful to welcome so many visitors through the doors of Saatchi Gallery for our Collectors’ Preview, which provided the opportunity to get the first look at the very finest Modern and Contemporary art on display, and discuss the paintings, sculptures, and prints with our specialist dealers who were on hand to advise on all aspects of building up a collection. Congratulations go to @thefineartsoc who were awarded the ‘Best Curated Stand’, presented by Fair Directors Gay Hutson and @willramsayfairs
@wateraid hosted their event for ‘Best Seat in the House’, an exhibition and auction of one-of-a-kind toilet seat artworks designed by artists and celebrities to help raise awareness and vital funds to ‘lift the lid’ on the sanitation crisis.
Our lively Friday Late took place on 27th September, with a focus on the top floor of the Saatchi in PIVOTAL: Digitalism, an innovative new fair section dedicated to digital art, and SOLO CONTEMPORARY, our returning platform curated by @zavierellisstudio which launched in 2022 for cutting edge galleries and dealers to present a set of works by one star of the contemporary art world.
SOLO CONTEMPORARY buzzed with visitors for the special ‘Meet the Artists’ event, where many artists attended to discuss their work and creative inspirations, as well as the presentation for the SOLO CONTEMPORARY Artist Award, which was presented this year to @abeodedina, shown by @virginia_damtsa and @theafricanarthub.
Thank you again to all those who attended the Fair and look out for further highlights from this year’s edition, along with the return of British Art News and BLAST Art Market Reports. Sign up via the link in bio.
#britishartfair #contemporarybritishart #modernbritishart #modernart #modbrit #contemporaryart #britishart #britishartist #saatchigallery #londonart
We’ve been having such a wonderful time greeting you during the first two busy days at Saatchi Gallery. Now, we’re open for the weekend. There’s still plenty of time to come and enjoy the best in Modern and Contemporary British Art, with works from celebrated artists such as Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Tracey Emin and Bridget Riley.
Saturday 29 September, 11am - 6pm
Sunday 30 September, 11am - 5pm
Remember to ask for your re-entry ticket so you can come back as much as you like before we close at 5pm on Sunday. See you soon.
26 – 29 SEPTEMBER 2024
SAATCHI GALLERY, LONDON
📸 @dgs_media
#britishartfair #contemporarybritishart #modernbritishart #modernart #modbrit #contemporaryart #britishart #britishartist #saatchigallery #londonart
PIVOTAL: Digitalism curator Rebekah Tolley-Georgiou interviews PIVOTAL partners and exhibitors Muse Frame and Sedition about their love of digital art, the Digitalism art movement, and how to start your own digital art collection.
@museframe and @seditionart have joined forces to present a dynamic collaboration showcasing pioneering artists at the intersection of digital and physical art. Muse Frame, renowned for its high-resolution 4k digital art displays has revolutionised how collectors engage with digital and NFT artworks, transforming any space into a personal gallery, and participated at prestigious events including Art Basel and Maison & Objet. Sedition, a trailblazing art platform offers a curated selection of contemporary digital works from globally respected artists and has previously partnered with major brands and cultural institutions including Samsung, the Royal Academy, and Serpentine Galleries.
Curated by @rebekahtolleygeorgiou and a team of digital luminaries, PIVOTAL: Digitalism is an innovative new section dedicated to digital art being created and exhibited in Britain today, and provides the opportunity to see the latest AI, AR, VR, digital sculpture, moving image, photography and painting being created.
#britishartfair #contemporarybritishart #digitalart #digitalsculpture #AI #AR #VR #modernbritishart #modernart #contemporaryart #modbrit #britishart #britishartist #saatchigallery #saatchi
With one week to go until we open, we can't wait to welcome you to British Art Fair. It's your last chance for Advanced General Admission tickets - ends midnight on Sunday.
Discover our exciting 2024 programme: with our Modern and Contemporary exhibitors at the heart of the fair, this year's edition will also see the returning SOLO CONTEMPORARY platform and WaterAid auction, along with a special exhibition from the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust, and PIVOTAL: Digitalism, a new section dedicated to British digital art today.
Make the most of your Friday evening at our late night opening, and explore the fair until 9pm.
Discover more about the exhibiting artists and their work at our 'Meet the Artist' event, and enjoy complimentary drinks our partners Sipsmith, Prime Time Beer and The Macallan Whiskey.
Book your tickets today via the link in bio. We advise you to book your tickets in advance for easy entry. You are welcome to arrive at any point during the day for which your ticket is valid, and may stay as long as you wish.
26 - 29 SEPTEMBER 2024
SAATCHI GALLERY, LONDON
#britishartfair #contemporarybritishart #modernbritishart #modernart #modbrit #contemporaryart #britishart #britishartist #britishartnews #saatchigallery #exhibition #exhibitioninlondon
Less than two weeks to go until the opening of British Art Fair 2024.
We can’t wait to greet you through our doors 26 - 29 September. Join us at Saatchi Gallery with top dealers showing the very best Modern and Contemporary British Art.
Book your ticket today via the link in bio.
Featured artwork: Albert Irvin OBE RA, ‘Louise I’, 2002, printed and published by Advanced Graphics London. Screenprint, edition size 80, paper size 23 x 30.5cm, signed by the artist verso.
26 — 29 SEPTEMBER 2024
SAATCHI GALLERY, LONDON
#britishartfair #contemporarybritishart #modernbritishart #modernart #modbrit #contemporaryart #britishart #britishartist #britishartnews #londonevents #saatchigallery #saatchi #exhibition #exhibitioninlondon
Meet the experts showcasing the greatest names in 20th and 21st Century British art, all under one roof in just under a month’s time. View our exhibitor list now, via the link in bio.
Book your ticket to British Art Fair 2024 via the link in bio
26 - 29 SEPTEMBER 2024
SAATCHI GALLERY, LONDON
#britishartfair #contemporarybritishart #modernbritishart #modernart #contemporaryart #modbrit #britishart #britishartist #britishartnews #londonevents #saatchigallery #saatchi
Only 1 month to go until British Art Fair 2024.
From 26 – 29 September 2024, leading dealers from across the UK will gather at Saatchi Gallery, London, to exhibit a variety of exciting, ambitious, and rare works from Britain's most celebrated artists. The 2024 fair is set to showcase the greatest names in British Art, such as Albert Irvin, David Hockney, Bridget Riley, Frank Auerbach, Alan Davie, Paul Nash, L.S. Lowry, Paula Rego, Barbara Hepworth, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.
Visit our website to learn about some of the exciting features set to take place, including SOLO CONTEMPORARY, PIVOTAL: Digitalism and a special exhibition from Exhibition Partner @barnsgraham and secure your ticket to this year’s event.
Book your advance ticket today via the link below
https://britishartfair.seetickets.com/tour/british-art-fair?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=BAF24-one-month-to-go&utm_content=buy-tickets
26 — 29 SEPTEMBER 2024
SAATCHI GALLERY, LONDON
Detail from Albert Irvin OBE RA, ‘Louise I’, 2002, printed and published by Advanced Graphics London. Screenprint, edition size 80, paper size 23 x 30.5cm, signed by the artist verso
#britishartfair #contemporarybritishart #modernbritishart #modernart #contemporaryart #modbrit #britishart #britishartist #britishartnews #londonevents #saatchigallery #saatchi
In the latest issue of BLAST, Colin Gleadell reviews a Modern British and Irish Art sale at Bonhams on July 17 that provided a positive backdrop to the market as it wound down for the summer before reopening with British Art Fair in September.
This issue offers insight into a large abstract by John Piper once thought destroyed in the Blitz, the sale of a John Craxton work for double its estimate, and an early L.S. Lowry painting that excited some competition. Other highlights of the sale include a high price for a previously unrecorded Lucien Freud watercolour, painted when he was just 20, and a record sale for an eerie Tristram Hillier painting that reflects the current enthusiasm for the artist.
Read the full report via the link in bio.