I briefly visited the International Art Fair at the Royal College of Art of Saturday and was amazed at the number of stands and the range of work there. As ever, it reminded me how difficult it is to choose art, particularly when confronted with such variety, and just like shopping, much depends on the quality of the stand and the way that the work is presented. My golden rules with picking art, both for myself and as part of an interior design project, is to know your style before you start looking and to ensure that you really LOVE the piece before you buy. Try not to buy a piece based on size of space you want to fill or colour of the room – you run the risk of ending up with a compromise.
Of course I would say that my friend Lynne Strover, who runs the truly wonderful Strover Gallery in Fen Ditton had the best stand but I was also delighted to see that she has found a wonderful new artist Rosemary Vanns and I was/am sorely tempted by her work.
Rosemary Vanns Maggi Hambling
Other stands that for me were worth noting were the Lime Tree Gallery based in Suffolk (Long Melford) and Bristol
Lime Tree Gallery – Gareth Thomas Lime Tree Gallery – Robert Newton
and Dominic Kemp who has a great range of good prints.
Dominic Kemp Prints – Terry Frost Dominic Kemp Prints – Edward Dawden