Maybe its because it was so insanley cold on the day I went. Perhaps that kept people away and that meant there wasn't much of a buzz. Either way London Art Fair seemed a little lacklustre this year. It may also have the been the inordinate amount of black and white, just black, brown and grey paintings on show. It had quite an 'interior design' art feel to it. Lots of things that you could put in your house that would not really disturb it. Isn't art meant to be more exciting than that?
Maybe also I'm a little fed up with always liking the same sort of things at this fair, like Patrick Heron, Ben Nicholson etc. I'd love to see some bit of contemporary art that blew me away but often it seems derivative and a bit contemporary art by numbers. Even the contemporary art had a bit of an 'interior design' feel to it.
Incidentially the Photo50 section was actually pretty good entitled "Feminine and Masculine" with the dubious tag of: "On the Struggle and Facination of Dealing with the Other Sex". It was cleverly curated by Frederica Chiocchetti and kept to its theme simply. There were curious time lapse photos of lovers sleeping in their bed together, not in a "Oh Matron!" fashion, but just showing how they lay beside each other in the bed, snuggled up and moved around.
Anyway in no particular order here's the ArtTop10 "Top 10" of the show. Splendid!
1. Patrick Heron, Jimmy's Piece: 19th August 1989, 60.33 x 77.47cm (£40,000) - James Hyman Fine Art
A cracking PH, one of the later ones which is more wild that you don't see so often. Loads of colour which is probaly why it was hidden around a corner.
2. Peter Lanyon, White Square New Jersey, 1962, 25.5 x 35.5cm (£32,500) - Rowntree Clark
I love seeing what artists come up with when they're doing small abstract pieces.
3. Ben Nicholson, Five Circles, 1934/1962, 34.9 x 44.9cm (£3000) - Gilden's Arts Gallery
This black and white BN fitted perfectly into the vibe of the art fair this year.
4. Mark Entwisle, Interior with Chandelier, 2015, 30 x 20cm (£1430) - Long & Ryle
Nice how you can see it's actually been painted and I like the loose work on the chandelier.
5. John Hoyland, Vane, 1978, 116.8 x 101.5cm - Alan Wheatley Art
Bit of a Hans Hofmann rip off but the colours do spring off the canvas like wild gazelles.
6. Will Martyr, The Sound of Silence, 2015. 85cm x 120cm (£6000) - TAG Fine Arts
Popped off the wall this one with a bit of colour and a 3D vibe.
7. Andy Burgess, John Murtagh House (New Hampshire), 2013, 12 x 15in. (£1200+VAT) - The Cynthia Corbett Gallery
Continuing my suddenly new obsession with paintings of houses, a cracking little gouache. It's not actually she same house as the one above is it!?
8. Bridget Riley, Sequence Study with Wider Colours: Red, Blue, Yellow, 1982 - Omer Tiroche Contemporary Art
Love the way she's used the graph paper - no need to draw the lines!
9. Ivon Hitchens, Terwick Mill, 1944, 41 x 74cm - Alan Wheatley Art
IH is such a down right good painter, look at the way the paint is slithered and scratched onto the canvas.
Number 10!. Victor Pasmore, Riverside Gardens, Hammersmith, 1946, 18 x 24 in. - Browse & Darby
Look what you can do with greens and earth colours, fabulous!
Review by Robert Dunt, Founder of ArtTop10.com - www.robertdunt.com
