London is Calling

The London Art Fair will return for a 36^th edition in 2024 with a range of international galleries, providing collecting opportunities for both seasoned collectors and those new to the art scene. This year’s fair will see over 120 galleries gather in north London to showcase a range of art, with a particular focus on Modern masters and contemporary greats, with appearances expected from Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley, and David Hockney.

Alongside leading UK galleries such as Alan Wheatley Art, Koop Projects, Piano Nobile, and Chirstopher Kingzette Fine Art, the fair will host twelve international galleries. These include Common Sense Gallery from Vienna, Galeri Miz from Istanbul, Galerie Olivier Waltman from Miami, and Gallery G-77 from Kyoto.

This year will also see the fair partnering with Charleston, the museum having once been the home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and played host to the many artists, writers and thinkers of the Bloomsbury Group. The museum will present works such as Bell’s portrait of Virginia Woolf and Omega ceramics from a private collection.

This partnership has informed other sections of the fair, with Platform – curated by Gemma Rolls-Bentley – to present art that celebrates queer love and life. Alongside the exhibition A Million Candles, Tin Man Art will present paintings by artist Zach Toppin, whose works reimagine queer histories, and Janet Rady Fine Art will present photographer Ghada Kunji’s FaRIDA series.

“I’m fascinated by the historic house and the stories of the creative community that thrived there”, says Rolls-Bentley, “as a queer person I find something extremely validating and nourishing about spending time in a place that’s so rich with LGBTQ+ history because our histories are so often erased or difficult to uncover”.

Other sections of the fair include Encounters, Photo50, and Prints and Editions. Encounters will provide a platform for emerging galleries to present alongside established and international galleries. These ‘encounters’ or meetings between different galleries brings new perspectives, allowing a dialogue between works from unknown and emerging artists and those with established practices. Meanwhile, Photo50 will focus on photographic presentations, curated by Revolv Collective and including works by Joshua Bilton, Marie Smith, Eugenie Shinkle, Jackson Whitefield and Hannah Fletcher. Finally, the Prints and Editions section will be making its debut this year, featuring works by both emerging artists and famed printmakers. This section is perfect for the newer collector, and those wishing to establish their collecting style before diving into other mediums.

The London Art Fair will run from 17 – 21 January, with a VIP Preview scheduled for 16 January. For more information, visit the fair’s website here.