Frieze Week (6–9 October) puts London in the spotlight this October, and, as always, top-notch gallery exhibitions are staged around the capital to coincide with Frieze and Frieze Masters (click here for our pick of the best Frieze Week shows). Satellite fairs running concurrently include The Other Art Fair and Moniker at the Old Truman Brewery, and 1:54 – the contemporary African art fair – at Somerset House. Now in its fifth edition, 1:54 (whose title refers to the 54 countries that make up the African continent) features 40 galleries from across 18 countries, and draws attention to more than 110 artists from Africa and across the diaspora. The special projects this year include the first UK solo exhibition of the late Malian photographer Malick Sidibé who died in April, and an installation by multimedia artist Zak Ové in the courtyard of Somerset House. The fair is accompanied by an impressive events programme curated by Koyo Kouoh.
Dansez le Twist (1965), Malick Sidibé. Galerie MAGNIN-A at 1:54. Courtesy Galerie MAGNIN-A, Paris; © Malick Sidibé
London also sees a few changes this month to the gallery landscape. Following a merger with Spanish dealers Coll & Cortés, Colnaghi has moved from its Old Bond Street premises to a larger, custom-built space in St James’s. Happily, the gallery’s treasured library remains at the centre of its operations. The exhibition ‘Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas’ opens at the new address and runs from 6 October–4 November. Skarstedt has also opened a new gallery in St James’s which, designed by Thomas Croft Architects, boasts 5,000 square feet of exhibition space. A major display pairing works by Cindy Sherman and David Salle is the inaugural show (1 October–26 November). Elsewhere, Alan Cristea departs Mayfair’s historic Cork Street after 44 years and relocates to Pall Mall – it joins Philip Mould & Co., which moved to the area at the end of last year. This latest departure leaves only a handful of galleries on the once vibrant street in the wake of the area’s redevelopment and rising rents, leading many to wonder if this is the end for Cork Street. Alan Cristea launches its new space with ‘After All’, an exhibition focusing on Howard Hodgkin’s works on paper (5 October–18 November).
In Paris, leading contemporary art fair FIAC returns to the Grand Palais for its 43rd year, bringing together 186 specialist galleries – including 42 new exhibitors (20–23 October). Led by dynamic director Jennifer Flay, among the international big-hitters are Gagosian, Lisson, Sprueth Magers, Thaddaeus Ropac, Michael Werner, and Xavier Hufkens. Notable solo exhibitions include Cathy Wilkes at the Modern Institute, Aurélien Froment at Marcelle Alix, and Guan Xiao at Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler. Alongside the fair’s commitment to promoting emerging artists, this year’s edition has broadened its programme. Highlights include a performance festival hosted in collaboration with the Louvre (featuring works by Tim Etchells, Alexandre Singh, and Otobong Nkanga); the inauguration of the Salon Jean Perrin, a new exhibition space (here, nine dealers, among them Richard Saltoun and Arnaud Lefebvre, present solo shows of artists from the 1970s); and On Site, a new section at the Petit Palais showcasing large sculptural works and installations. Don’t miss Etel Adnan at Galerie Lelong, Do Ho Suh at Victoria Miro, and Lee Ufan at Kamel Mennour.
Court tankard (c. 1680), Berlin, Johann Jacob Staude. Kunstkammer Georg Laue at HIGHLIGHTS
In Germany, HIGHLIGHTS International Art Fair Munich lands at the splendid Munich Residenz from 26–30 October. Playing host to 45 international dealers, the fair, now in its seventh edition, spans antiquity to the present day, and features everything from illuminated manuscripts, and Old Master painting, to textiles, furniture and contemporary art. Long-time exhibitors returning this year include Blumka Gallery, Galerie Thomas and Thomas Salis Art & Design; among the newcomers are Galerie Koch and Galerie Maulberger. Fair stalwart Kunstkammer Georg Laue brings a remarkable court tankard whose fire-gilt silver mount bears the mark of the Berlin master goldsmith Johann Jacob Staude. Dated to around 1680, it is covered in a delicate ivory relief depicting the Triumph of Amphitrite; on the basis of its style the relief can be attributed to the ivory carver Johann Ulrich Hurter, active in Ulm at the end of the 17th century. Painting is well represented: Munich-based Kunkel Fine Art offers the enigmatic oil Luzifer (1890) by Franz von Stuck, a leading figure in the Symbolist movement, while Colnaghi impresses with a Jusepe de Ribera canvas of St Jude. For modern art, head to W&K Wienerroither & Kohlbacher, whose Standing Woman Covering Face with Both Hands (1911) by Schiele is loosely worked in gouache and watercolour.
Further afield, the San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show (SFFAS), now in its 35th year, attracts art and antiques enthusiasts from the West Coast and beyond (27–30 October). With 60 international dealers, the fair spans a broad range of fine and decorative art from antiquity to the present day. This year’s theme, ‘Animalia: Animals in Art and Antiques’, explores the beauty and mystery of the animal kingdom and its depiction throughout the ages. There’s also a fine selection of furniture on the stands, from a white japanned hanging corner cupboard dated to around 1720 at Michael Pashby, to a Louis Philippe cabinet at Carlton Hobbs. Made in 1846–47 and decorated with botanical and zoological imagery on a lacquered black ground, the cabinet is signed by the French craftsman Chifflot – one of only five known pieces that he produced. Other highlights include a Shreve & Co. presentation silver bowl at Witherell’s from around 1888 and a Corinthian helmet at Peter Finer. A lively talks and events programme accompanies the fair.
Corner cupboard (c. 1720), English. Michael Pashby at San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show
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From the October issue of Apollo: preview and subscribe here.