June is when the London “season” gets into full swing. Between horse racing at Royal Ascot, rowing at Henley and tennis at Wimbledon, the social calendar is chock-a-block with smart events. For the art connoisseur, a great lineup of fairs and events awaits. From the venerable Grosvenor House Fair to the tiny specialist Ceramics Fair, there’s something for almost everyone, from art to antiques and decorative arts.

GROSVENOR HOUSE ART AND ANTIQUES FAIR
JUNE 14–20
www.grosvenorfair.co.uk

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It is fashionable to carp about “GroHo,” as some in the trade dub it. Certainly, the location (in the downstairs ballroom of the grand Grosvenor House Hotel) is cramped and claustrophobic. Then,

Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair: George III tambour writing table, c. 1770, at Norman Adams Ltd.

say critics, it is too British, too traditional.

And yet each edition of this flagship of the British trade manages to impress visitors with the range and quality of work on display, from exceptional walnut and mahogany furniture to fine paintings and exquisite jewelry. “This is still one of the leading fairs in the world, and I meet people there who I don’t see anywhere else,” says London-based Japanese screen dealer Gregg Baker, who is returning for the third time.

Grosvenor House brings together 89 exhibitors, and this year’s newcomers include tapestry specialist Simon Frances and Moretti Fine Art Ltd., a Florence- and London-based dealer in Italian Old Master paintings. Then there are the don’t-miss London-based stalwarts Norman Adams and Apter-Fredericks for 18th- century furniture, Johnny van Haeften for Dutch and Flemish Old Masters, S.J. Phillips for silver and jewelry, Wartski for Fabergé and Paris-based B.B. Steinitz for lavish French furnishings.

As well as traditional antiques, there are also more modern offerings: the Queen’s nephew, David Linley, who has forged a successful career designing and making furniture and accessories, is an exhibitor, while The Metal Gallery will bring modern flatware. (For more on David Linley, see “Discerning Eye” in A&A Update, June 2007.) Modern British paintings will be on show at Richard Green, Ofer Waterman & Co. and Osborne Samuel, among others. Complementing this is a radical redesign of the fair, which will have a far more modern look than in the past. Starting this year, each edition will feature décor inspired by a country house or historic building, and first to be chosen is the architecture of the glorious Palladian mansion Stowe House in Buckinghamshire.