Diamonds, dinosaurs and drawings – just some of the fun at London’s summer fairs

‘Each year we try to do something new,’ says the director of London Art Week (LAW), Luce Garrigues. ‘This adds to the structure we have each year of exhibitions happening in galleries across London.’ Special subjects in recent years have included music and books. For this edition, it’s drawing.

To that end, LAW is collaborating with Trois Crayons, an organisation founded in 2023 to promote ‘awareness, accessibility and visibility of drawings in all their forms’. It is named for the drawing technique pioneered by Rubens in which three colours of chalk are used: red, black and white. As such, it’s unsurprising that the organisation is largely focused on Old Master drawings.

Trois Crayons will have a ‘communal hub’ at Frieze’s Mayfair gallery, No. 9 Cork Street, which will host a dozen or so dealers from overseas. ‘After Brexit we haven’t had so many European dealers coming to exhibit at London Art Week, so it’s just great,’ Garrigues says. The cancellation of this year’s edition of an annual specialist sale was one impetus behind the choice of special subject, with LAW’s organisers keen to cater to disappointed collectors, curators and dealers of works on paper. (Appropriately, a beautifully drawn map by the artist Adam Dant illustrates this year’s trail.)

Another reason for this year’s focus is that drawings can be, comparatively speaking, affordable. ‘It’s an entry point for both collectors and dealers – when they start out, they like selling drawings because they can find really good-quality work for a good price.’ She points to Elliott Fine Art and Nonesuch Gallery as examples of young dealerships making their names with works on paper. This year, Elliott is showing portraits by or of women artists from the long 19th century, while Nonesuch – whose founder, Tom Mendel, is just 29 – will be exhibiting depictions of Italy from the 16th to 19th centuries.

The Hellespontine Sibyl (n.d), Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, called Guercino. Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, London

At the other end of the spectrum is gallerist and LAW chairman Stephen Ongpin, who has worked in the Old Masters field for more than 30 years. This year, his Mayfair gallery will mount a show focused on drawings by Guercino. ‘I think it took about 10 years to put all these drawings together,’ Garrigues says. ‘It’s quite rare to see so many drawings by Guercino in private hands – and for sale.’

Other highlights include ‘The Great War: Britain’s Efforts and Ideals’ at Abbott and Holder in Bloomsbury: an exhibition of prints by 18 artists commissioned by the British Government in 1917. These are being sold on behalf of the Imperial War Museum and the proceeds will help fund new acquisitions there.

It’s not just about works on paper this year. As always, LAW has a selection spanning a range of mediums, topics and time periods. Garrigues is particularly enthusiastic about the portrait miniatures from 1600–1800 that will be exhibited by The Limner Company in its debut outing at the event, hosted by Guy Peppiatt Fine Art in Mason’s Yard.

Of course, the appeal of such an affair is seldom just about the art. ‘It’s summer, it’s usually nice outside, and in a couple of hours you can see sculpture in St James’s Square, visit a few fantastic exhibitions, and then go to Christie’s – and the whole thing is just a stroll.’

London Art Week takes place in various venues from 28 June–5 July. For more details, go to www.londonartweek.co.uk. 

Gallery highlights

Bomberg – Auerbach
Daniel Katz Gallery, London
20 June–19 July

In 1948, a young Frank Auerbach enrolled to study at Borough Polytechnic in London under the painter David Bomberg: an experience that would prove formative. This exhibition of some 20 paintings and drawings features works by both artists – and for good measure throws in Summer Afternoon (c. 1909) by Walter Sickert, an artist whom Auerbach has often cited as another important influence.

Easy Valley, Cuenca (1934), David Bromberg. Daniel Katz Gallery, London