PRESS RELEASE 17 JULY 2023
British Art Fair 2023
28 September – 1 October Saatchi Gallery, London SW1 4RY
The 32nd edition of British Art Fair takes place this autumn presenting its annual showcase of the very best Modern British and Contemporary British Art, elegantly installed throughout the museum-style interiors of Saatchi Gallery, London.
Since 1988 British Art Fair has been the flagship fair for Modern British Art, representing celebrated artists including Bridget Riley, Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, David Hockney, Terry Frost, John Piper and many more, with fine and rare works released to the art market especially for the event.
The fair took a new direction last year under the ownership of Ramsay Fairs, with the introduction of fresh initiatives. The 2022 edition welcomed over 10,000 visitors.
Among the 70+ exhibitors at British Art Fair 2023 are dealers who have been loyal to the fair for decades, bringing exceptional Modern and Contemporary British Art year on year. Exhibitors include: Osborne Samuel, Jonathan Clark, Patrick Bourne, Willoughby Gerrish, Redfern Gallery and Alan Wheatley. The Fine Art Society, Stow Art House, Zuleika Gallery are among the dealers who are new to the fair this year, and those returning include Whitford Fine Art and Robert Upstone.
Gwen John, La Petite Negresse, Gouache and Pencil on Paper, Courtesy Christopher Kingzett SPECIAL EXHIBITION | Crossing Borders: Internationalism in Modern British Art
Charlie Phillips Notting Hill Couple, Photograph 1967 Artists who came to live and work in Britain from all over the world during the 20th century and contributed significantly to its culture, are the subject of a wide-ranging exhibition, Crossing Borders: Internationalism in Modern British Art, at British Art Fair 2023. From India and Pakistan will be paintings, works on paper, prints and sculpture by F. N. Souza, Rasheed Araeen, Avinash Chandra and Balraj Khanna; from Taiwan and China – Richard Lin and Li Yuan-chia; from Indonesia – Kim Lim; from Central and Eastern Europe - David Bomberg, Frank Auerbach, Lucian Freud, Paul Feiler, Peter Kinley, Karl Weschke, Jankel Adler, Josef Herman, Hans Coper, Fred Uhlman, Caziel, Peter Schmidt, Kurt Hutton, Edith Tudor Hart, Bill Brandt, and Rolf Brandt; from Ukraine – Bernard Meninsky; from Africa, James Barnor; from the Caribbean – Aubrey Williams and Cleveland Brown; from Australia and New Zealand – Sidney Nolan and Frances Hodgkins; and from America – Jacob Epstein, Liliane Lijn, R.B. Kitaj, and Susan Hiller. Works are being supplied by past and present exhibitors of the fair and will be for sale with prices ranging from four to six figures. The exhibition is being compiled by Colin Gleadell, who is on the fair’s advisory committee, and curated by art historian and author Monica Bohm-Duchen, founding director of the Insiders/Outsiders project.
CONTEMPORARY BRITISH ART | SOLO CONTEMPORARY
Ines Fernandez de Cordova - Disipar - 2023. Courtesy Jealous Gallery Following on from the success of its launch last year, Zavier Ellis is curating a selection of the UK’s most exciting young galleries for SOLO CONTEMPORARY. The section, which is twice the size of last year, presents twenty dealers each exhibiting a set of works by one chosen rising star. A Ramsay Fair initiative, SOLO is a continuation of British Art Fair’s founding principle to champion British art and artists. Zavier Ellis says: “SOLO CONTEMPORARY enjoyed a superb debut in 2022. The critical response and sales were strong. SOLO brought a generation of new collectors to the fair. We have excellent galleries with exciting presentations joining in 2023 – watch this space!”
MARKET NEWS | British Art market on the rise
Art Market Columnist and British Art Fair Committee Member, Colin Gleadell reports that the art market has proven remarkably resilient, even buoyant in sectors, in spite of a pandemic, war, and economic turbulence throughout the world: He said: “The latest art market report by UBS confirms that turnover in auction rooms and galleries globally has actually improved in the last year, even if by just 3%. A closer look with a microscope would show some areas improving in leaps and bounds. This would include the market for female artists and for previously unrecognised artists; both categories which are amply provided for by the Modern British art market.”
CHARITY NEWS | British celebrities to support WaterAid at British Art Fair
International charity WaterAid is returning to British Art Fair as the official charity for 2023. Following the success of last year’s Art of Change exhibition which saw works by David Hockney, Rankin, Boy George, and many more talented artists, go under to the hammer to raise awareness of the devastating impact of climate change on vulnerable communities’ access to clean water, this year WaterAid will be curating a new exhibition of exclusive climate themed artworks. The collection, located in a dedicated area at Saatchi Gallery, will showcase bespoke slogans relating to the climate crisis designed especially for British Art Fair. All pieces will be available for purchase during the fair. Artists and celebrities involved are kindly donating 100% of their sale to WaterAid, helping to bring clean water to everyone, everywhere.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Ramsay Fairs
In February 2022 British Art Fair was bought by Ramsay Fairs. In 2023 the company employs 60 people and runs 20 fairs worldwide. Affordable Art Fairs can now be found in 14 cities including London, New York, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Melbourne. VOLTA Art Fair takes place annually in New York and in Basel in June. With over 200,000 visitors a year, Ramsay Fairs has earned a global reputation for hosting stylish art fairs at all levels of the market, as well for introducing art to generations of collectors. Will Ramsay, CEO Ramsay Fairs said: “British Art Fair has been running for over thirty years and I have always much admired it. We have a mix of nearly seventy Modern British and Contemporary British galleries. It is just a really great fair for promoting British Art. I look forward to the 2023 edition.”
The 2023 British Art Fair Team
Will Ramsay, CEO Ramsay Fairs is joined by Gay Hutson (co-founder of British Art Fair) as Fair Director. The Advisory Committee comprises Peter Osborne, James Hyman, Richard Selby, Jenna Burlingham and Art Sales Columnist Colin Gleadell. British Art Fair also has a Vetting Committee which ensures the quality and authenticity of all the works for sale.
BLAST and British Art News
British Art Fair publishes news on all areas of Modern and Contemporary British Art in public and commercial galleries every week in a column edited by author Alex Leith. The fair sponsors BLAST | Art Market Report, a monthly and independent report by Colin Gleadell with exclusive content on the British art market. Read and sign up for free at www.britishartfair.co.uk/blast
About Saatchi Gallery
Since 1985, Saatchi Gallery has provided an innovative platform for contemporary art. Exhibitions have presented works by largely unseen young artists, or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK. This approach has made the Gallery one of the most recognised names in contemporary art. Since moving to its current 70,000 square feet space in the Duke of York’s Headquarters in Chelsea, London, the Gallery has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The Gallery hosts thousands of school visits annually and has over 6 million followers on social media. In 2019, Charles Saatchi formally stepped back from his management of Saatchi Gallery with the organisation beginning a new chapter in its history as a fully independent registered charity. Saatchi Gallery has an expansive education and learning programme and partners with a wide variety of schools, colleges, universities and community organisations.
www.saatchigallery.comSaatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY #saatchigallery Instagram/ Twitter/ TikTok: @saatchi_gallery Registered Charity Number: 1182328 British Art Fair
28 September – 1 October 2023
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York HQ, King’s Road, London SW3 4RY
Instagram: @britishartfair Facebook: @britishartfair Twitter: @BritishArtFair #BAF23 #BritishArtFair
Opening Hours
Collectors' Preview, Thursday 28 September, 12noon – 9pm
Friday 29 September, 11am – 8pm
Saturday 30 September, 11am – 6pm
Sunday 1 October, 11am – 5pm Last entry is half an hour before the fair is due to close.
Ticketing
Pre-booking is advised. Tickets are for sale at https://bit.ly/BAF23Tickets
Collectors' Preview: £50
Advance Admission: £20 Advance
Concessions: £17; for over 65s, full time students, and those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance or income support. Proof of concession required.
Advance Access Admission: £17; for disabled visitors and Blue Badge holders; free carer/companion ticket.
Under 16s: free; booking required and must be accompanied by an adult. Prices listed above are not inclusive of booking fees.
Press Contact
For press accreditation, tickets and images please contact Jessica Wood, Head of Communications.
Tel: + 44 (0)7939 226988