FINE ART AND ANTIQUES FAIRS

Courtesy: Summer Olympia, The Art & Antiques Fair.

For those who may not have time to visit shops or galleries, good art and antiques fairs offer under one roof dealers in varying disciplines ranging from period furniture to jewellery. Important fairs will have different criteria as to datelines, vetting and quality. The lack of datelines should not be seen as a negative as some of Britain's best fair do not have datelines as their organisers believe that quality and authenticity are more important than date, but they do not allow reproductions. Vetting is a procedure whereby every item displayed at a fair is examined by a team of experts in the field to ensure that they are accurately described. This should give added confidence when buying, in the same way that you can have confidence when buying from any dealer who is a member of a professional association such as LAPADA. You should always be given an invoice with a proper description of the items you have bought, whether at a fair or at a shop or gallery: this will be essential if there is a problem later.

Every year LAPADA stages its flagship fair in Berkeley Square at which only members of The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers can exhibit. The public can buy with confidence at LAPADA fairs which are carefully vetted by teams of independent experts or authenticity and quality. In addition all exhibitors, as members of LAPADA, must abide by the Association's strict Code of Practice. No datelines are imposed so the exhibits can range from antiquity to the present day, but no reproductions are permitted.

www.clarionarts.co.uk

THE LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair, Berkeley Square

22 - 26 September 2010

The LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair will be held for the second year in the famous and centrally located Berkeley Square, at the very heart of Mayfair, London, just minutes from Bond Street and Piccadilly, with new dates from 22nd - 26th  September.

The Fair features leading dealers in fine art and antiques, from traditional to contemporary paintings and sculpture, exceptional English and Continental furniture and works of art, jewellery, clocks and watches, ceramics, glass, militaria and other decorative arts.

This flagship annual event of LAPADA, the UK's largest trade association of professional art and antiques dealers, was launched to great acclaim in 2006 at the Royal Academy  and caused queues in Burlington Gardens on the opening night. The LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair, Berkeley Square will once again be presented in a spectacular purpose-built marquee, with  more than 90, providing a clear and free-flowing layout and including a restaurant to cater for 100 covers.

 LAPADA needed to move the Fair due to a change in tenancy at the previous venue, The Royal Academy and felt it essential for this now established event to remain in the prestigious surroundings of Mayfair, which naturally attracts international visitors and residents, as well as professionals from the worlds of finance and property based in this high profile part of London.

To view a list of some of the more important fairs coming up soon see
Diary of Art and Antique Fairs.