Press Release
Now in its second year, the newly expanded Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair will feature 50 leading international galleries, showcasing 1000 years of art from across the Eastern world. The Fair will be opened by TV art critic, Andrew Graham Dixon in the presence of HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO and His Excellency Mr Yury Fedotov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation. The Charity Gala Evening will be attended by Ambassadors and Cultural Attaches from Asia and the Far East.
Following the successful launch of the Russian Fine Art Fair in 2009, the Fair has been expanded to include art from Asia and the Middle East. Reflecting the latest enthusiasm in London for art from the former Persia, India, China, Korea and Vietnam, specialist galleries will show a stunning mix of traditional and modern fine art from these regions. Contemporary and traditional paintings will hang alongside perennially-popular items such as Chinese and Japanese ceramics, sculpture, objets d'art, metalwork, furniture and carpets.
Key works on display include a beautiful watercolour of the stage design for The Firebird by Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962). In 2008, Goncharova's Les Fleurs set a world record price for a female artist, selling for ?5.5 million ($10.8 million) at Christies, London. Two modern masters of Indian art, M F Husain and S H Raza will also be among the highlights of the Fair (both achieved prices over $2.5 million last year), as will Lee Sun-Don, the only artist from Taiwan to have shown at the Venice Biennale. For sheer luxury and glamour, a majestically-crafted timepiece featuring over 4,000 diamonds, gold, pearls, amethyst and nephrite will be offered by a leading Russian jewellery company for a price well into seven figures.
In recent years, art from the East has soared in popularity and value. Two thirds of Russian modern and contemporary art sold worldwide is sold in London*, which has seen a major rise in auction sales and the opening of specialist galleries to cater for demand.
"London not only has a burgeoning local collector base, but is a magnet for collectors flying in from London and Kiev." Gareth Harris, Financial Times 2009.
Chinese art is rapidly growing in popularity and value - boosted by the country's soaring economy. Such is the importance of the capital for Chinese fine art that The Art Market Monitor recently stated that 'the capital of China is London'. This is underlined by the fact that there are more specialist dealers in Chinese and Oriental art in London than in the rest of Europe and the USA combined.
Art from the Middle East and India is now emerging in a similar fashion, fuelled by major sales of Arab, Iranian and Indian fine art at the major auction houses. There is real dynamism in this sector, with young Eastern and Asian artists emerging onto the international stage. Charles Saatchi has recently showcased major exhibitions of Indian and Middle-Eastern art and is seeking to open a gallery in the United Arab Emirates.
GALLERIES
50 leading international galleries will showcase a stunning array of the finest works produced by Eastern craftsmen over the last millennium.
Among those confirmed are Sphinx Fine Art and Chaucher Fine Arts from London with major 19th Century and 20th Century Russian Avant-garde works; Jacques Monasch Gallery from Moscow and Amsterdam together with John Barkes and Hampstead Gallery from London and Lazare Gallery from the USA will display a range of 20th Century and Soviet Realist paintings; Sydney Moss Ltd., Kevin Page Oriental Art and David Brower Antiques from London will show important Oriental antiques, as will a number of European and US-based dealers; carpets come from Brian MacDonald amongst others; Bernard Shapero Rare Books from London will display a wide range of antique Russian and Oriental works of art; Oc-Eo Art and Durlacher Fine Art from the UK will show paintings by major Vietnamese and Georgian artists, while Tanya Baxter Contemporary, Salon Contemporary, ArtsRepublik and Catto Gallery from London will showcase important works by leading contemporary artists from China and India.
Islamic and Middle-Eastern antiques items are shown by a number galleries including Kent Antiques from London.
Jewellery is offered by leading specialists, including Victor Moiseikin's Russian Luxury - including an exquisite timepiece containing over 4,000 diamonds. Important icons will be on sale from Paretski Antiques, Berlin and Made in Russia, USA; AASN, UK will display silver and items from the Crimean War, while Ukranian art will be offered by Danusha Fine Arts and ArteLia from London.
Traditional and Modern Indian art is offered by a number of galleries including Art 1821 from Norwich and Kings Road Gallery, London with some major Indian artists including Sacha Jafri, S.H.Raza and M.F. Husain. Middle Eastern art comes from galleries from Iran, Turkey and Europe, including Svenska KonstGalleriet from Sweden. X-Power Gallery from Beijing, Paris & Beverley Hills will showcase Taiwanese artists including Lee Sun-Don, the only artist from Asia to hold an exhibition of oil paintings at the Venice Biennale. Russian contemporary art will be shown by Hayhill Gallery and White Space Gallery from London and Vitaly Patsyukov, Centre of Contemporary Art in Moscow.
ROYAL PRIVATE VIEW & CHARITY GALA EVENING
The 2009 Fair proved one of the social highlights of the year for the Russian community, with a Charity Gala Evening attended by Their Highnesses Prince and Princess Dimitri Lobanov Rostovsky and other high profile members of the London Russian community, celebrity clientele, politicians and VIPs. Along with the Ritz Club VIP dinner, the evening raised considerable funds to help children with severe burns and resulted in some substantial six-figure sales. Three television stations covered the event.
The 2010 Fair will open with a Royal Private View on Wednesday 9th June 2010 when the winners of the Eastern Art Prizes will be announced by Andrew Graham Dixon and presented by HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO. The 2010 Charity Gala Evening in aid of the Children's Burns Trust takes place on Friday 11th June 2010 and will be a very high profile and glamorous occasion. Tickets are available from the organisers and require advance booking. Tickets for the public days are available in advance or on the door.
Four television and film companies have already confirmed their attendance for 2010, including Al Jazeera, Phoenix CNN from China and Art TV who will produce a series of 30 minute programmes exclusively on the Fair. Andrew Graham Dixon's BBC crew from The Culture Show will also be conducting interviews, alongside television stations from Russia.
ASIA HOUSE VIP COLLECTORS EVENING
A special evening for Cultural Patrons and members of Asia House and Pushkin House will be held on Thursday 10th June 2010. There will also be exclusive cocktail receptions and tours of the Fair for VIP collectors of Russian and Asian art.
FAIR CATALOGUE
The Fair Catalogue for the Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair is the most sumptuous and in-depth publication of its kind - the world's premier fine art fair catalogue. The hard-bound publication will also serve as a reference work on the history of Russian, Eastern and Oriental art. It will have a Foreword by HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO.
LOAN EXHIBITION
With Istanbul designated as European Capital of Culture, the Fair will be staging an important loan exhibition of Byzantine and Ottoman art.
With virtually every fine art fair in Europe built around Western Art, The Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair is the only event of its kind to focus on fine art from the East.
For press information and images, please contact:
Kara Reaney and Chloe Kinsman at JB Pelham PR
Tel: +44 20 8969 3959
E-mail: kara@jbpelhampr.com and chloe@jbpelhampr.com
For further information on the Fair, please contact:
Peter London
Fair Director
Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair
T: +44 (0)7795 074843 / +44 (0)7540 765840
peter@russianartfair.com
Telephone (UK only): 0845 116 2094
International: +44 (0)20 8998 7923
Russian Speaking: +44 7788 661153
E-mail: info@russianartfair.com
www.russianartfair.com
Russian Art Fair Ltd
Some photos from the exhibition:
Click here for more photos www.russianartfair.com
Victoria & HRH Prince Michael of Kent
Victoria & HRH Prince Michael of Kent
Victoria & HRH Prince Michael of Kent
Victoria & HRH Prince Michael of Kent
Victoria & HRH Prince Michael of Kent
Victoria Kovanenchikova with Anya Sant
