Exhibitions

The Times / 25th Jun 2016

A missing Van Dyck painting of a biblical scene worth an estimated £1.2 million has been rediscovered after its importance was forgotten for generations.

The Madonna, Child and St John (c 1627-30) was identified in a private collection, where it was not attributed.

“It was obscured by a dark and discoloured varnish until a recent cleaning revealed the astonishingly beautiful, Titianesque colouring,” Simon Dickinson, who is offering the painting for sale at Masterpiece London art fair at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, said.

The oil painting, 1 metre by 1.5 metres, has been authenticated by Christopher Brown, a former director of the…

The New York Times / 8th Jul 2016

A chipped china saucer. A toy cow. A terra-cotta flowerpot. A dog-eared “Peter Rabbit” book. Half a tin of white emulsion paint. A thimble.

“ALL ITEMS £1” said the notice, one of dozens scattered across the agricultural showground in the west of England last Sunday as dealers tried to drum up business at the Shepton Mallet antiques and collectibles fair.

This six-times-a-year showground fair in rural Somerset could hardly have been a more literal embodiment of the “grass roots” of Britain’s antiques trade, far removed from the glitter of London’s international auction houses and dealers. After Britain’s vote to leave the European Union on June 23, the event also embodied a very different Britain.

Somerset is Brexit country. The South West Region of England voted by 53 percent to 47 percent to leave the E.U., in contrast to London, where 60 percent of voters chose to remain. Local West Country dealers, who rely almost exclusively on English buyers, were finding the post-Brexit market for modestly priced collectibles extremely tough going.

Ultimately, for the superrich, Maastricht is about collecting, Masterpiece is about shopping. While dealers are keen to meet a different crowd of wealthy people, even if only for advertising purposes, Masterpiece remains a challenging place to sell at the very top of the market. Apart from Ariadne’s marble head, there were no confirmed sales of artworks at Masterpiece marked at more than $1 million, such as the museum-quality 1916 Cubist painting, “Nature Morte,” by Juan Gris on the booth of the London and New York dealers Dickinson, priced at $8.5 million.

“What we sell takes a little longer. We regard the fair as closing in about six weeks’ time,” said James Roundell, Dickinson’s director of Impressionist and modern art. Mr. Roundell, like Mr. Mills in Shepton Mallet, was sanguine about Brexit, citing the possible removal of European Union-imposed tariffs, such as VAT on artworks imported from outside the E.U. (Britain charges 5 percent, the lowest permissible rate, compared with 5.5 percent in France and 22 percent in Italy) and Artist’s Resale Right royalties, as potential pluses. “Being out of the E.U. could be good for the U.K.,” Mr. Roundell said.

Brexit is a huge leap in the dark. But as Britain teeters toward recession, and millions of its people potentially end up with even less money to spend, £1 china could be a harder sell than an $8.5 million Cubist painting.

The Financial Times / 24th Jun 2016

Masterpiece was first established to fill the gap left by the Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair when it folded in 2009. Over seven editions, it has expanded its remit far beyond objets de vertu and period furniture: 20th-century art and design now has a strong showing, with a focus this year on Italian postwar artists, de Chirico, Boetti and Fontana among them.

CEO Nazy Vassegh, a former senior director at Sotheby’s, came to the fair three and a half years ago with the aim of strengthening its art portfolio: “We have British, we have Italian, we have Japanese, we have Indian modern art,” she says. “You will find international postwar art at Masterpiece now in a wide varied way.”

The fair’s eclectic range (“an auction season in eight days,” says Vassegh) encourages cross-collecting: contemporary art enthusiasts can discover their protégés’ forebears, and antiquities dealers might chance upon eccentric design oddities. “Masterpiece draws your eyes to things you may not otherwise see,” says Vassegh.

 Under Nazy Vassegh’s direction, Masterpiece has introduced a strong roster of galleries showing 20th-century and contemporary art. This year’s modern offerings include André Derain’s “Still Life with Fish” (1940-45) at Chiale Fine Art, and Juan Gris’s “Nature Mort” (1916) at Dickinson…

Apollo Magazine / 21st Jun 2016

When Masterpiece London (30 June–6 July) started life in 2010 it was as a precocious teenager. With all the arrogance of youth, it took on the mantle of London’s foremost summer fair from the deceased Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair and assumed it knew better than that grand but faded old duchess about what a fair should be in the 21st century. With its emphasis on the imaginative and experiential, perhaps it did. The theatre of art fairs – their presentation, restaurants, and talks and events programmes – has become ever more important.

Dickinson’s star piece is a rediscovered depiction of a Madonna, Child, and St John by Anthony van Dyck whose history, says the gallery’s Molly Dorkin, has been traced back to its purchase on the Grand Tour in 1775. Since then the work, dated by Van Dyck authority Professor Christopher Brown to around 1627–30, has descended through an English and Irish family collection. It hung undisturbed for some 200 years and it was only when it was recently cleaned and the old discoloured varnish removed that its true Titian-esque tones were revealed, the vivid palette inspired by the young Van Dyck’s recent trip to Italy.

Blouin Art Info / 26th Jun 2016

The Masterpiece London international fair for art and design returns to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea for its 7th edition from June 30 to July 6, with 154 exhibitors showcasing museum-quality works of art and design spanning more than 5,000 years. This year’s fair sees a rise in curated presentations, works created for the fair, as well as classical works and mid-20th century masters.

Masterpiece London welcomes a number of new exhibitors in 2016, including Axel Vervoordt, Cortesi Gallery, M & L Fine Art, Stephen Ongpin, Safani Gallery, Harmakhis Galerie, Senger Bamberg Kunsthandel, David Ghezelbash Archéologie, Modernity of Stockholm, Waterhouse & Dodd, Wallace Chan, and Tornabuoni Art.

Wallace Chan (Hong Kong) will debut with new jewelry works including “Damask Silk Necklace,” featuring 54 diamonds and 124 tourmalines; Axel Vervoordt (Antwerp) will present ancient sculptures, post-war paintings and antique furniture; Tornabuoni Art (Milan, Paris, London) will exhibit works of post-war Italian art; and Cortesi will showcase a selection of 1960s and 1970s European art.

Other highlights of the fair include an exhibition dedicated to Zaha Hadid by David Gill, an 1810 landscape painting by John Constable not seen since 1877 at Richard Green, a newly authenticated painting by Sir Anthony van Dyck from circa 1627 at Dickinson, ancient Egyptian and Fijian jewelry at Patrick & Ondine Mestdagh, and a fully intact mummy mask from western Thebes at Ariadne Galleries.

Artnet / 30th Jun 2016

Masterpiece London is the first fair to take place here following the Brexit result of last week that has shaken the country and continues to do so in myriad ways. Now in its seventh edition, the fair has been under the stewardship of Nazy Vassegh for three years and in that time has developed from a fair that proudly focused on luxury and the decorative arts to one which has evolved to also include a wide range of fine art.

London gallery Dickinson created a lot of interest at their stand with a newly authenticated Van Dyck work Madonna, Child and St. John (1627), discovered by gallery founder Simon Dickinson, and a rare Juan Gris still lifeNature Morte (1916), as well as works by JMW Turner and Edward Lear.

The gallery reported discussions and items placed on reserve but no sales on VIP preview day. There’s plenty of time for negotiations at Masterpiece, as the fair runs for an entire week and doesn’t close until July 6.

Antiques Trade Gazette / 1st Jul 2016

Masterpiece London opened this week at the Royal Hospital Chelsea amid continuing speculation over the effects of Brexit on the art market.

Despite concerns about the fall of the pound, exhibitors remain optimistic. Agreeing that the best pieces will always be in demand, dealers used creative stand design to showcase a variety of their best pieces.

One week on from Britain’s vote to leave the EU, the issue is still on many lips. Throughout Masterpiece so far, small knots of people were seen standing together talking about where they were when it happened, their shock and comparing opinions of Boris Johnson et al. For exhibitors there were immediate, practical implications, chief among them: how to deal with the erratic pound?

Dickinson, who have galleries in New York and London, have advertised each work in the currency of its consignor. This is different from, for example, Stephen Ongpin, who have provided prices in sterling only.

With a stand spanning Old Masters, modern and contemporary art, Dickinson offer a wide view of the history of art. They stress the importance of transparency, and every piece on the stand is clearly priced – including one of their standout works, an Anthony van Dyck Madonna and Child at £1.2m.

The Art Newspaper / 30th Jun 2016

The turmoil that has followed the UK’s decision to leave the EU has affected global financial markets and the strength of the pound, now at its lowest level against the dollar since 1985. International art sales in the capital, however, seem to be a different story. Perhaps spurred by the search for a bargain due to the currency exchange rates, confident buyers buoyed the contemporary evening auctions at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, while sales at Masterpiece London, now in its seventh edition, were reported just a few hours after the fair opened to VIPs on Wednesday, 29 June.

Dickinson (D2)

Van Dyck, Madonna, Child and St John (around 1627), around £1.2m

This newly-attributed work by Van Dyck has not been seen in public since 1887. “This is an exciting addition to Van Dyck’s oeuvre, and we can trace its provenance all the way back to 1775, when it was purchased by an ancestor of the present owner during his Grand Tour of Italy. We enjoyed the process of piecing together the picture’s history, which adds to its appeal, and the story of its discovery has been very popular with visitors to our stand,” says Molly Dorkin, associate director at Dickinson.

Vanity Fair / 28th Jun 2016

There are countless art fairs taking place across the globe throughout the year—listen carefully, and you can probably hear the chink of champagne flutes nearby. Establishing your USP is essential, and for Masterpiece London, which opens this week at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, it’s about presenting the grand Ferraris of the fine-art market alongside the best antiques and design pieces. If you’ve ever been before, you’ll know that it’s a fair without any scruff—the floors are impeccably carpeted, the art is beautifully lit, and Le Caprice, The Ivy and Scott’s are on hand with refreshments. As with many fairs, however, the sheer volume can be somewhat overwhelming. We spoke to the fair’s CEO, Nazy Vassegh, to get her highlights—learn them off by heart, and impress every passer-by with your impeccable taste.

Work: Juan Gris, Nature Morte, 1966

Where: Dickinson, Stand D2

Art | Antiques | Design / 11th Jul 2016

It must have been a tough decision for some dealers as to whether to take part in the London Summer season 2016. With Brexit and all that that encompassed, the 2016 season was always going to assert some form of uncertainty in the market, so the dealers who did exhibit in London recently, were very brave to do so, and for the most part, that bravery seemed to have paid off. Business was done, in fact Didier Ltd., exhibiting at Masterpiece, recorded their most successful Fair to date, and as is always the case at these major events, quality items were selling.

Masterpiece is a spectacular Show, and this year, more than any other year, it just felt for some strange reason, like it really had landed. This was of course a sentiment that was punted out a couple of years ago, but it never really felt that way back then; it did feel that way this year. Now that the UK looks like it could be heading towards an even competitive playing field with the USA, Switzerland and China, Masterpiece is a viable option in the long run, with TEFAF (and the EU for that matter) looking more and more like a dead man walking.

At a time when great wealth seeks safe harbours, Britain’s brexit minimises liabilities recently incurred by the EU such as the impending (again) sovereign loan crises, the migrant crisis, and other proofs that a European superstate (based upon bureaucracy and not rule of law accountable to voters) is a carcinogenic experiment in bloated government. Hopefully the new Tory leadership gets rid of the daffy duck rules such as VAT, ARR and everything that kills jobs and abuses the trust of the market place. ARR for one, which isn’t in America, benefits primarily four disgustingly rich French artist’s estates; Picasso, Leger, Braque and Matisse, and quite frankly, I don’t think we need to be bailing out Marina Picasso’s bar bill at the Ritz anymore. ARR conceived as a payment for creativity, turns into welfare for alcoholic trust fund artists estates.

Masterpiece has stood the test of time, and can only grow in stature. Next year’s event runs from 29 June through to 5 July, with a preview on 28 June. Count on Britain being the safe harbour of years ago, while the incompetence of Europe, centrifuges apart.