January is a slow month, with several commercial galleries keeping their doors closed until it ends.
As a result, it is a good time to get noticed, and events such as the London Art Fair (16-20 January) in Islington and Collect at the Victoria and Albert (25-29 January) benefit from the lack of opportunities for collectors and museums, both of which like the one-stop-shop fairs, to buy anything.
The London Art Fair focuses almost exclusively on British galleries and has had a patchy reputation. It was generally agreed that this year's fair was one of the best, with curated projects and smart presentations. Works on sale ranged from a few hundred pounds to hundreds of thousands.
Some people commented on the appearance of several "street" artists, though sales were generally for British moderns such as Patrick Heron.
Curators were scarce at the pre-preview, although the Tate's Nicholas Serota was there. Collectors with museum connections included Frank Cohen, who runs Initial Access in Wolverhampton, property developer David Roberts, who is setting up a museum in Camden, and Judith Greer, a patron of the Whitechapel and Serpentine galleries.
There were more in evidence at a party given by architect Norman Foster at his penthouse flat in Battersea to launch the Madrid Fair, Arco, in February. Museum bigwigs spotted included Serota (again), Norman Rosenthal, Mark Jones and Vicente Todoli.
The Tate, which is collecting Latin American art, may have been attracted by Arco's focus this year on Brazilian art. Almost everyone else had come to gasp at the remarkable apartment.
Jane Morris is an arts journalist and editor
As a result, it is a good time to get noticed, and events such as the London Art Fair (16-20 January) in Islington and Collect at the Victoria and Albert (25-29 January) benefit from the lack of opportunities for collectors and museums, both of which like the one-stop-shop fairs, to buy anything.
The London Art Fair focuses almost exclusively on British galleries and has had a patchy reputation. It was generally agreed that this year's fair was one of the best, with curated projects and smart presentations. Works on sale ranged from a few hundred pounds to hundreds of thousands.
Some people commented on the appearance of several "street" artists, though sales were generally for British moderns such as Patrick Heron.
Curators were scarce at the pre-preview, although the Tate's Nicholas Serota was there. Collectors with museum connections included Frank Cohen, who runs Initial Access in Wolverhampton, property developer David Roberts, who is setting up a museum in Camden, and Judith Greer, a patron of the Whitechapel and Serpentine galleries.
There were more in evidence at a party given by architect Norman Foster at his penthouse flat in Battersea to launch the Madrid Fair, Arco, in February. Museum bigwigs spotted included Serota (again), Norman Rosenthal, Mark Jones and Vicente Todoli.
The Tate, which is collecting Latin American art, may have been attracted by Arco's focus this year on Brazilian art. Almost everyone else had come to gasp at the remarkable apartment.
Jane Morris is an arts journalist and editor
