Masterpiece London: Not Your Ordinary Art
Recently, I had the privilege of being invited to Preview Night at Masterpiece London, one of the most distinguished events to take place in the British capital each summer. It is London’s leading fair for art, antiques and design—offering museum-quality works for sale from more than 150 galleries worldwide. With works spanning more than 5,000 years of art history all the way up to present day, there was something of interest for just about everyone.
Though the recent Brexit vote to “leave” the EU has caused quite a stir here in London, it didn’t seem to have any effect on the number of enthusiastic art lovers attending this year’s Preview. Champagne was being served the minute we entered the grand event, with several pop-up dining favorites setup along the way. Down the center of the venue was Scott’s Seafood & Champagne Bar, serving Crustacea and fish for which the restaurant is famed.
This year was the seventh edition of the art fair, and a number of new exhibitors were added. There was so much to see before enjoying a fabulous dinner at La Caprice, one of the pop-up restaurants at Masterpiece, and a long-time favorite. So off I went on a quick pace down each aisle taking in as much as I could! And now I can’t wait to share a few of my favorites.
First, Tornabuoni Art Gallery, one of the new exhibitors, where I discovered a unique art technique called Spazialismo by an Italian artist, Lucio Fontana (1899-1968). Using a knife and the full length of his arm, Fontana cuts precise, vertical slashes into his thinly painted monochromatic canvases with the intention of “exploding” the conventional space of art. His art, simple in design, spoke to me loudly in an avant-garde modern kind of way.
Another favorite exhibitor of mine was Sladmore Contemporary, showcasing 19th and 20th Century sculptures. I fell in love with several of the bronze sculptures which exuded such playful personality, like “A Sculpture of a Toad” by Edouard Martinet (from France 1961). Martinet’s anatomically precise sculptures are individually and meticulously assembled from a huge array of found objects including bicycle, car, and motorbike parts; each of the elements carefully selected to best portray the character and attitude of the creature. The purse-like clasp of this toad’s mouth just made me giggle. And those eyes…they seemed to be smirking at me! I could have taken him home with me, but I couldn’t quite cough up £18,500.
Perhaps he seemed a bargain compared to the fabulous 27″ high Chinese Horse sculpture for £22,500. This bronze beauty was one of 12 editions sculpted in bronze by British sculptor Nie Fiddian Green, who specializes in making lifelike models of horse’s heads. A much larger version of this bronze horse head is located at Marble Arch in London.
Next up was a painting full of life, energy, and just the right amount of naughtiness illuminated by the brightest chandelier and two spotlights painted into this colorful masterpiece titled, “At the Theatre of La Monnaie in Brussels” by Belgium artist Gustave Flasschoen (1868-1940). I found the gentleman from this Berko Fine Paintings exhibit equally as enthusiastic about this oil painting, as he began to point out all the little detail of the playful figures and the possible gossip that they were up to. It’s the kind of painting in which you’re likely to discover something new each time you look at it.
And just as I was speeding up my pace along the last aisle of the fair, I spotted a painting in the Philip Mould exhibit that simply spoke to me the minute I laid eyes on it! It was a painting titled, “A Lady in a Red Gown” by English artist Albert Henry Collings (1869-1947). By far my favorite piece, and I have no idea why as it was nothing like any other painting that has ever appealed to me. I think perhaps it was the happy, easy yet slightly seductive attitude of this young lady in the painting; but it was the whole thing…the way the artist had painted the fabric with such perfection when it came to texture, color, and lighting. I felt as if I was intruding on her peaceful space as I stared at her beautiful gold silk scarf around her head and her soft transparent top loosely draped under her red gown and her perfectly chosen shade of lipstick.
Next, it was time to catch the last seating at La Caprice where I chose to start with a Crispy Duck and Watermelon Salad with Toasted Cashews (recipe) followed by an herb-roasted Wester Ross salmon. An incredible masterpiece of an evening!
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