The publicity for the London Masterpiece Fair has started and the opening gambit is a $10M+ Lichtenstein. Then there’s an E-type for £600,000 and a necklace for over £2M. They say “lower price” items are there but then say £15,000 as a guide! When they say you don’t need to spend that much, I think it’s a bit late… the die is cast. The impression is the very, very top end. Or are they just using this for news? They do get good cover with these lead items (loss leaders?). I wonder if they sell at the fair..? I doubt it – but maybe contacts are established.

Artcast 21 selected sculptures

To be honest I don’t know what the top price items are at the Decorative Fair but it’s certainly not pitched that high. The 4 year-old Masterpiece Fair is obviously going right to the top and the Decorative Fair is very comfortable with the decorative reputation it has established over many years (25+). Prices probably go up to the ones Masterpiece goes down to! All I know is that there are plenty of those who care for their interiors enough to come to the Decorative Fair and spend reasonable amounts of money. Each to his or her own…

A&L Antiques carved oak console

And there are some amazing and varied antiques (and textiles of course) at the Decorative Fair. Browse our Diary categories to catch up on the diversity… I will spend the next few weeks and months until the next Decorative Antiques Fair in October 2013, adding some images of more delights seen in April in Battersea.

 Don’t worry if you haven’t yet been to the Decorative Fair this spring… there’s still until 7pm tonight (see you there) or ther’s all day tomorrow and Sunday – Saturday 27th April from 11am – 7pm ans Sunday 28th from 11am – 6pm.

Meanwhile there are 140 antiques & collectible exhibitor/dealers all bursting with great (and lovely) things on their stands, waiting for you… For example the splendid and vast antique ‘sunburst’ shown at Brownrigg @ Home (seen here on the left) and Kiki Design’s elegantly combination of period sculpture and textiles (as seen on the right).

Lots of decorators and trade buyers here in the huge crowd who queued patiently then spent rapidly!!

It couldn’t be better weather for enjoying a day in Battersea Park, some relaxed interiors shopping then a drink on the terrace from the lovely Megan’s Brasserie to make a perfect finish to a day of retail therapy!

Garden Theme in The Park…

The Fair is now open from 11am daily till Sunday – check the website for closing times. And it couldn’t be easier to get here, just hop on one of the fair’s courtesy shuttles which run from outside the Sloane Square Hotel every 10-15 minutes during opening hours. Here are a few images from exhibitors to give you a flavour of what’s in store…Seen here is Robert Barley’s garden-themed display includes an antique copper bath as a water feature.

Three more dealers and a snippet of their style and specialisation…

On the left is Alex MacArthur, who is based in Brighton and shows a collection of furniture & decorative objects rangeing from C17th  ecclesiastical to C20th industrial. That’s abroad canvas but beautifully painted…

Central is Brownrigg @ Home from Petworth, Sussex & Tetbury, Gloucestershire, who specialise in French & Continental decorative furniture, country house English furniture & objects from the 17th to the C20th.

And on the right another change of pace with Carlisle London, who’s expertise is in furniture, artwork and objects from the mid C20th to the present with clean lines and excellent craftsmanship. Pieces are international in scope, ranging from designers Poul Kjaerholm to Adrien Hope

Q] What’s a reasonable way to introduce the Spring Fair? Ask what sold at the Winter Fair in January?
A] Traditional accessories from kitchenalia to wine glasses, textiles and quirky decorations such as antique shoes and ‘Grand Tour’ intaglios displayed under domes were extremely popular… except that you can read this on a press release and may have already seen it elsewhere…

A2] Or we can show you some pictures from our exhibitors themselves…

Here you can see Martin D Johnson Antiques, Bie Baert & Odette Welvaars and Gwen Pilard of Quindry. More tomorrow…

The Decorative Fair is delighted to reveal its recent collaboration in the creation of a new book being published this Spring.

A Guide to Collecting Affordable Antique Furniture…

… from Vivays Publishing, features a large number of illustrations from the Decorative Fair’s library of stock photographed at past fairs. A book signing session by the author Caroline Wheater will be held at the Spring Fair the morning of Saturday 27th April.

The book will be available to purchase direct from the publisher on the day for a special price.

Caroline’s own website states “My new book, A Guide to Collecting Affordable Antique Furniture, will be published in February 2013. It dips into the history of furniture, spotlights elegant and interesting pieces, and advises on how and where to buy, and the art of re-purposing and reinventing antiques. Case studies of genuine collectors give it a friendly face, and a section on historic houses and museums to visit will, I hope, inspire readers to take some weekend jaunts to see lovely things (£19.95, Vivays Publishing).”

See also the last posting…

Sam Loxton (33) London (lucasrarities.com), travels the world sourcing the finest jewellery for Lucas Rarities Ltd and has a love for the finest items. In his words: “I consider myself a champion of antique jewellery…”  He adored old books and antiques; soon after school he was offered two jobs at once – with the National Art Library and with Christies as a porter in the jewellery department. He took the latter and has been utterly dedicated to jewellery ever since.

Kieran Mathewson (26)  Herefordshire kieranmathewson.com, is a dealer in tribal art, architectural reclamation & country furniture.  He has carved out a career through determination and an inner love for the objects he deals in. First struck aged 8 by a pewter tankard in a South African antiques shop that looked like one he had seen in a pirate movie, “I remember my heart racing, wondering about its history. That feeling is a high I have been chasing ever since!”

Adam Partridge (39) Macclesfield, Cheshire (adampartridge.co.uk).  Adam is still a young gun but has achieved so much after some major early set-backs, in auctioneering ~ proof of how passionate he is about what he does.  He’s well known from TV (Flog It! et al).  His first purchase was a small oil painting, bought with saved-up pocket money aged 8, which he still has.  He read Classics at Oxford but spent more time haunting fairs and auctions.

Chris Oxley (36)  Wiltshire (british-antiqueclocks.com), is another founding member of the #AntiquesYoungGuns, busy rejuvenating the timeless world of fine clocks.  His parents established P.A.Oxley Antique Clocks and Chris started going on buying trips with them from the age of 10.  He joined the business after leaving school, and now runs it with his mother.

Timothy Medhurst (21) Chelmsford, Essex (ReemanDansie.co.uk) turned a childhood love of coins in to a career, as an auctioneer specialising in the numismatic world.  Determined to bring a youthful edge to a field sometimes seen as old and stuffy. The youngest of our short-list, Timothy aged 10 was first amazed by a Victorian Crown coin shown him by his grandmother, which sparked a collecting craze he developed in to an online dealing business whilst still at school.

James Gooch (30)  Bedfordshire (doeandhope.com) is another founding member of the #AntiquesYoungGuns.  He runs Doe & Hope, a web based antiques and curios shop that aims to bring a bit of fun and showmanship to the trade. James had an early obsession with antiques television programmes.  With a BA in Film & Video, he first worked as a runner and researcher in TV production. A small legacy from his Grandmother was what prompted him to set up shop.

National Antiques Week  20-28 April 2013

An initiative, supported by the following organisations, that encourages activities across the country to promote awareness of the antiques trade, and specifically to encourage a younger audience to visit antiques shops and auction houses, and to endorse the green credentials of antiques, and highlight the exceptional value antiques represent compared to equivalent ‘high street’ purchases.

• Trade Associations:
• Antiques Are Green
• The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers (LAPADA)
• The British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA)
• Cotswold Antique Dealers’ Association (CADA)
• Kensington Church Street Antique Dealers Association (KCSADA)
• Petworth Art & Antique Dealers’ Association (PAADA)
• Portobello Road Antiques Dealers Asociation London (PADA)
• Society of Fine Art Auctioneers (SOFAA)
• Thames Valley Antique Dealers’ Association (TVADA)
• West of England Antique Dealers’ Association (WEADA)

Commercial Sponsors:

• Antiques Trade Gazette
• Iacf.co.uk
• Antiques.co.uk
• Online Galleries
• The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fairs, Battersea
• Miller’s ~ www.millersonline.com
• Mark Hill Antiques & Collectables
• Homes & Antiques

In no particular order:

Matthew Nunn (37) Reading, Berks ( fleaglass.com) who runs Apsley Antiques Ltd & Fleaglass Ltd and has been bringing the scientific antiques market to a whole new generation.  He spent years working in engineering but was hooked on antiques as a child and started dealing when ebay launched.

Natalie Smith (32) Woodbridge, Suffolk (woodbridgeantiquescentre.co.uk) who opened her own antique centre at only 26 years old and proves that antique centres are not just an old person’s game.  She got the antiques bug visiting car boot fairs with her Dad, took a degree in Italian, worked for a jewellers in Venice but got in to dealing when she helped sell some of her Dad’s collections.

Alys Dobbie (29) Cornwall & E. Sussex (nanadobbie.com) who owns two vintage shops under the Nana Dobbie brand, one in Brighton and one in Lostwithiel, Cornwall; causing a stir in the 20th century collectables and vintage worlds.  Another one who fell in love with ‘retro’ whilst car-booting with her Dad. She tried Art College but couldn’t resist the temptation to deal. She studied in order to do her own modern furniture restoration and boasts her business has only ever used recycled packaging!

Keeley Harris (36) York (discovervintage.co.uk) who runs Discover Vintage & Vintage Emporium, has been making waves from her shop in York and from the various fairs that she runs throughout the country.  She fell in love with a Victorian doll’s houses when aged 8 and spent her teens buying at car boots and charity shops to sell on at antiques fairs. Interim jobs in events have helped her create very inter-active vintage shows.

Paul Jones (29)  N. Wales & Chester (pjonesantiques.co.uk)  who runs Morgan Fairs in Wales and owns his own shop in Cheshire specialising in Victorian pine and country furniture and smaller items including books, folk art & kitchenalia.  His parents are in the trade (specialist Welsh and vernacular furniture dealers). Paul was a mechanic until he realised his heart was really in antiques. Two years dealing at fairs before opening his own shop.

Robbie Timms (30) Bedfordshire (timmsantiques.com -  S&S Timms Antiques from Ampthill, Bedfordshire) is one of the founding members of the original Antiques Young Guns.  He brings a new outlook to the traditional furniture side of the trade.  Robbie launched the world’s first antiques shop iPhone/iPad App. He joined the family antiques business aged 16 and has ‘upped the ante’ by exhibiting at the UK’s top fairs.

National Antiques Week 2013 Unveils Shortlist for ‘Young Guns of the Trade’

INAUGURAL AWARDS RECOGNISE THE RISING STARS OF THE UK ANTIQUES INDUSTRY
The UK’s antiques industry is thriving, and full of bright young things; an up-and-coming generation that are ensuring its vigour.  National Antiques Week is an industry-wide initiative supported by leading organisations (see Notes To Editors) that has launched a new award in 2013 to recognise the leading ‘Young Guns of the Trade’.

The awards panel, which includes two ‘young guns’ in their own right, were inundated with entrants, based all over the UK and from every area of the industry: the dealing fraternity, event organisers, auctioneers, restorers and trade associations.

They were asked to submit their story as to how they came to be involved with the antiques industry, what drives their passion and how they are bringing that passion to the marketplace.  Some truly remarkable contenders (one of whom is still only 21) from all sectors of the antiques trade prove for certain that this industry has a very healthy future indeed.

In the words of George Johnson, one of the awards panel: “Not only did we receive lots of entries from younger members of the trade, we also were blown away by the professionalism and experience these young guns have“.

The National Antiques Week Young Guns panel is pleased to announce a SHORTLIST OF TWELVE FINALISTS IN THIS FIRST 2013 AWARD.  Gail McLeod, one of the awards panel and Organiser of National Antiques Week comments: “each one shows the true spirit that we were looking for and all are trail blazers in their own right”.  Without exception, their greatest connection is that they fell in love with old objects at a very young age; they live by their passions for pieces of history that “sing” to them.

The 2013 Winner and two Runners-Up will be announced and presented with their Awards at a ceremony to be held on 25^th April during the Spring Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair (23-28 April) in central London, sponsored by the Fair’s Organiser.  The Decorative Fair will also host a special foyer display of stock drawn from many of the contenders in this year’s Young Guns award, curated by Mark Hill, member of the awards panel and exhibitor at the Decorative Fair.

Young Guns

The idea for this award stemmed from a group of young dealers who have been connecting and helping each other out via Twitter for several years, under the name of #AntiquesYoungGuns. This group includes George Johnson of Lady Kentmores antiques in Callander, near Stirling Scotland, who is on the Young Guns Award judging panel.  Also on the panel is a well-known face from TV, Mark Hill, author and authority on C20th collectables, presenter of Antiques Uncovered with Royal Palaces Curator Lucy Worsley. He has a new TV series, Collectaholics, starting soon on BBC2.

The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair – as it is officially known – has a new presence on Facebook… previous entrioes on this Diary site had the old “group” and now in tune with common practice, it’s a “page” which you can see here…  Please LIKE IT! And if you’re one of the old “group” please visit the new page and “read all about it”

There are some pictures of the previously mentioned Young Guns and there are many more with some glorious pictures of some of the antiuqes and decorative objets from the April 2013 fair, like the glass vases fro Richard Hoppe, as seen here.

It’s a funny old world isn’t it… facebook and antiques, but yet antiques are moving internet-wards all the time. (Will the first computers start turning up at fairs soon as objets of love and affection – or of derision – like the airline cocktail cabinets seen at the Decorative Fair recently. They must be about the same period or getting on for it.)

Dealers seem to find that the combo of a website and antique fairs may just do the job. Shops?!  Who need ‘em…

Following on from the last post introducing the Young Guns concept… Another character is Matthew Wise (left), who made a start in his early 20’s working for a leading London antique fireplace dealer but then drifted in to estate agency and property development, which gave him a good eye for period interior details. He couldn’t keep away from the antiques world, though, and is now working as a runner, spending long days on the road dashing hither and yon across Britain and the Continent searching for architectural salvage and selling to other dealers.  He is on the cusp of launching a new business with his current colleagues, so life is action-packed right now.

As one of the Young Gun Award prizes, Decorative Fair regular exhibitor (and a Young Gun himself), Mark Hill (right), will be curating a display in the April Fair Foyer to showcase objects for sale from finalists in the Award.  This offers excellent public recognition for some dealers who have yet to exhibit at a major event, or others who may not yet have a shop.