British Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery 20–23 September 2018 Introduction

Sponsors of British Art Fair Est. 1988 British Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery 20–23 September 2018 Introduction When my brother Johnny and I went to the British Art Fair in 2017, something we’ve been enjoying doing for nearly 30 years, he remarked “I love this art, but it can’t breathe, it needs more space”. There followed an agreeable conversation with the legendary owners of the fair, Gay Hutson and Bunny Wynn, and a deal was closed by an old school handshake. Over the coming weeks we agreed to a five year partnership with the Saatchi Gallery, and, with much financial commitment on the line, we approached the community of great dealers of Modern British art. With equal enthusiasm they all signed up and, nine months later, the British Art Fair is reborn. We’ve shortened the name, taking it back to the essence that was there at the beginning, a dedicated fair, or festival of British art. The timelines are a little looser, the building is more beautiful, but the art and the dealers who exhibit each year remain the beating heart of this annual event. We look forward to seeing you all at our new home although there are two significant absences, Bunny who was working hard on every element of the fair until she died in May, and our late father Victor who loved the fair – so to their memory we dedicate the 30th edition. Robert and Johnny Sandelson (September 2018) Saatchi Gallery Duke of York’s HQ King’s Road, London, SW3 4RY Opening hours Thursday 11am – 9pm Friday 11am – 7pm Saturday 11am – 7pm Sunday 11am – 6pm British Art Fair 18 Culford Gardens London SW3 2ST [email protected] www.britishartfair.co.uk 3 The 20th Century British Art Fair was continues on in her role as British Art Fair conceived at a time when Modern British doyenne. art – art that was made in the spirit of international developments in modern One of the founding concepts of the fair, art from Impressionism to Pop art – was though, has always been to recognise the enjoying a wave of interest in museums, dealers’ role, not just in the art market, commercial galleries and in the salerooms. but in re-evaluating the British art of the Standout exhibitions were ‘St. Ives, 1939- 20th century. Two of the most memorable 1964’ curated by David Brown at the Tate shows at Austin/Desmond in the late ‘80s in 1984, and The Royal Academy’s ‘British were for Keith Vaughan and Terry Frost, Art in the 20th century; The Modern both of whom were creeping up the price Movement’, in 1987, which looked at British ladder from a barely noticeable £600 pre art from radical Vorticism to Gilbert & 1986 to nearer £10,000 at auction. George. British Art Fair and the Not only did the show promote artists like Edward Burra and William Roberts, who It was Desmond who, in Modern British market had not previously been given sufficient 1988, had the idea of starting prominence, but it led to renewed efforts an art fair specifically for by dealers to explore the vast unknown 1988–2018 territory of Modern British art beyond the Modern British art which familiar figures of Walter Sickert, Henry was staged initially in the by Colin Gleadell Moore, Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, basement of the Cumberland Stanley Spencer and Francis Bacon. Hotel in Marble Arch. One of the main new players was the Austin/Desmond gallery which staged regular ‘Aspects of Modern British Art’ exhibitions from 1984 in the horse stables Putting the Newlyn School and the Thirty years ago this month a new fair burst upon the London art by Willie Desmond’s house in Ascot. These so-called British Impressionists on the scene, and it says something about the sustained strength and depth were far-reaching catalogues that provided map was Buckinghamshire dealer, David of the market it represented that it is still with us today. information about artists in print that was Messum. Messum enlisted the support of not easily available elsewhere. John Austin art historian Kenneth McConkey whose recalls how, in those days, “we could buy 1989 book on British Impressionism served whatever we wanted, it was a dealers’ as a hand guide for collectors interested market.” Paintings by William Scott, in the territory. Richard Green, perhaps Patrick Heron and Roger Hilton, now the most powerful dealer in the British art worth over £100,000, could be bought market, was also an enthusiast for these for under £2,000. works, joining the fair in 2002. By the end of the decade he had virtually pulled out It was Desmond who, in 1988, had the of the Victorian art market and instead, idea of starting an art fair specifically devoted his new gallery in New Bond for Modern British art which was staged Street to Modern art. initially in the basement of the Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch. Leslie Waddington (whose former director, Tom Lighton, exhibits at this year’s fair) The fair itself was owned by Ivan Winstone, was also a key player representing a hard Heather McConnell and Gay Hutson with core of post-war British avant-garde artists Angela (Bunny) Wynn as organising such as Patrick Heron, Roger Hilton and secretary. After McConnell died in 1993 Ivon Hitchens. But by the late ‘90s he had and, following the recession of the early passed on many of his artists’ estates to 90’s, Hutson and Wynn took over the reins Jonathan Clark, who this year continues in 1995 until this year when it was bought the good work by presenting a solo by the Sandelson brothers. Gay Hutson exhibition at the fair of works by Hitchens from the estate. 4 5 But in the late ‘80s, it was Bernard From a purely statistical perspective, a 30 Years of Modern British art at Auction Jacobson who was the most bullish key moment was in the 2010/11 season, dealer in Modern British art, and, as a when designated sales of Modern British 10000 shareholder in the new and influential art art at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams SINCE 2005 18.1 magazine, Modern Painters, ensured that (excluding the higher value British art sold spiritually powerful British art was read in international Impressionist, Modern and about and collected. A classic example is Contemporary art sales) reached £90 8000 12.4 10.8 the Vorticist-turned-Expressionist painter, million in one year, exceeding comparable 7.9 David Bomberg, who was the subject of totals for Russian, American and Latin 7.6 a major biography by Richard Cork in American art sales. It was, however, SINCE 1988 7.2 6000 5.7 5.7 5.6 5.4 1987 and a Tate retrospective in 1988. The boosted by the record £41.4 million Evill/ growth Compound dovetailing of academia, public museum Frost collection sale at Sotheby’s, and and market was completed by exhibitions annual totals subsequently fell back – until 4000 British PopBritish Art 20th C Sculpture at Jacobson’s gallery as well as at Gillian the 2017/18 season, when that figure was St Ives SchoolScottish ColouristsModern British 50 Jason’s and Fischer Fine Art. There was no surpassed and Christie’s achieved a record escaping the impact as Bomberg’s auction £32.7 million for a single, mixed owner sale value. by 80% of sales data the central capture All indexes price record soared from £16,000 in 1986 of Modern British art. 2000 to £95,000 in 1989. Perhaps the most remarkable AMR graph is for British Pop art. The artists included AMR has been supplying indexes to Art Market Professionals since 1989 are David Hockney, Sir Peter Blake, Richard 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 But in the late ‘80s, it was Hamilton, Eduardo Paolozzi, Allen Jones Bernard Jacobson who was and Joe Tilson. Had it included Pauline Boty and Gerald Laing, who were not the most bullish dealer in 6000 Modern British art, and, as traded regularly in the salerooms until recently, the upward swing would have a shareholder in the new been more exaggerated over the last SINCE 2005 5000 two years. It is worth noting here that and influential art magazine, 7.6 Modern Painters, ensured Boty’s work was not re-discovered until 30 years after her premature death in 4000 SINCE 1988 that spiritually powerful 1966 and exhibited by the Mayor and British art was read about Whitford Fine Art galleries in 1998, long Compound growth Compound and collected. before the salerooms even got a whiff 3000 5.4 of her importance. At the time, £25,000 for one of her paintings seemed a lot for an untested artist, but last year her 1966 2000 However, the savage recession of 1991 painting, BUM, sold for £632,750. value. by 80% of sales data the central capture All indexes effectively put the brakes on this market for the next ten years. A graph compiled The salerooms have undoubtedly played 1000 by Art Market Research taking 1988 as its an increasing role in selling direct to start point, shows how, even though the private clients and in promoting prices AMR has been supplying indexes to Art Market Professionals since 1989 fair continued and adapted, the market publicly. But the degree of success didn’t really start motoring again until the would not have been possible without 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018 21st century, by which time the fair had the blossoming network of museums. become the 20/21 British Art Fair. Apart from Tate Britain and its outreaches in St.

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