English
A new boutique art fair has made its London debut during Frieze Week, bringing together galleries from across the United States and Europe inside one of Mayfair’s most exclusive hotels. The London Invitational, an extension of the Dallas Invitational founded by British-born, Dallas-based art dealer James Cope, took over 13 suites at The Chancery Rosewood for its inaugural edition. The event runs through Sunday and reflects a growing trend of art fairs moving beyond convention centers and into intimate hospitality settings.
The Chancery Rosewood, which opened in September, offers suites ranging from £1,200 to £24,000 ($1,600 to $32,000) per night. Galleries participating in the London Invitational include Andrew Reed Gallery, Broadway, Charles Asprey, Europa, François Ghebaly, James Cope Gallery, James Kelly Contemporary, Lomex, Marinaro, Franklin Parrasch Gallery and Vardaxoglou.
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A Deliberate Slowdown in the Fair Experience
Cope told ARTnews that the hotel-suite format intentionally slows down the art fair experience. He believes this approach suits the current market, which he describes as “slow and steady” following the sharp surge in sales after the pandemic.
“I hate hearing about the doom and gloom of the art market — it’s not in a bad place,” Cope said. “We’re just coming out of a real bullish market and everyone’s recalibrating.”
Cope draws a deliberate parallel to an earlier era of art fairs. New York’s Armory Show, for example, began in 1994 in the small rooms of the Gramercy Park Hotel. He argues that a domestic setting helps collectors visualize how artwork might look in their own homes. “This environment creates a more human time with dealers, collectors and curators,” he said.
In his own suite, Cope displayed works by young artists Michelle Rawlings and Coco Young. His collector base spans from people in their mid-to-late 20s and 30s through to established collectors in their 50s, 60s and 70s, many working in shipping, oil, gas and banking.
Strong Prices and New Collectors
Despite the fair’s intimate scale, the price points on offer are substantial. Los Angeles-based gallery Bel Ami presented works by eight artists, including Minami Kobayashi, Guillaume Dénervaud, Soshiro Matsubara, Isabelle Frances McGuire, Dan Mitchell, Ian Miyamura, Lauren Satlowski and Marina Stern. Prices ranged from $5,000 to $33,000.
Matsubara’s work is also currently on display at Gagosian London as part of the René Magritte exhibition “This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte,” which has become the gallery’s most visited London show to date.
Bel Ami director Lee Foley said she has found strong interest from new collectors between the ages of 20 and 40, many working in film and technology. “There is something special about the art scene being a close-knit community in a time when that’s harder and harder to find,” Foley told ARTnews. “It’s our job to teach new collectors about the artists as we rely on them for business.”
At Franklin Parrasch Gallery, works ranged from £2,800 ($3,700) to the high five figures. The selection included pieces by Peter Alexander, Soyoung Lee, Sylvia Snowden and Joe Goode. Gallery founder Franklin Parrasch said he joined the London Invitational because he wants to explore new ways to “shape the model.” He also noted that collectors are currently less impulsive in their buying decisions. “Sometimes not having the copious amounts of money they were making a few years back is good for generating new energy and thought in other areas besides commerce,” he said.
Meanwhile, New York dealer Lauren Marinaro of Marinaro Gallery made a conscious choice to focus on works priced under $10,000. Her selection featured artists Ever Baldwin, Ridley Howard, Ron Isaacs, Ryan Johnson and Alessandro Teoldi. “It’s an approachable number right now and a way for introducing my program to London,” she told ARTnews. She added that the past six months have brought encouraging signs after a difficult three to four years, with art advisers helping bring new and younger collectors into the market.
London Holds Its Ground Against Paris
The London Invitational also gave two dealers without permanent gallery spaces the chance to exhibit. Charles Asprey showed paintings by Alessandro Raho, priced from £6,000 to £35,000 ($8,000 to $46,800). The works depicted scenes ranging from Los Angeles to flowers found in Raho’s London home. Raho is perhaps best known for his portrait of actress Judi Dench, which hangs at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Asprey, also a trustee at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, noted that physical gallery spaces are no longer essential for representing artists effectively.
Throughout Frieze Week, the ongoing debate about London versus Paris as an art market hub remained a frequent topic. New York gallery Broadway participated in both Frieze London and the London Invitational. Co-founder Joe Cole told ARTnews that London appears to be regaining its footing, despite the rising popularity of Art Basel Paris. “I certainly met a number of new collectors from the UK, Europe and the Middle East that I don’t think I would have met in the US,” Cole said.
As for whether the London Invitational might expand to Paris next, Cope was direct. “I don’t really like Paris,” he said, praising London for its diverse and international character. “There’s people from Asia and the Middle East and Russia and everywhere in London. There’s so much hype around Paris and I’m not trying to compete with that.”
