This June, at the peak of the capital’s summer season, Masterpiece London brings together collectors, exhibitors and curators from around the world for an unparalleled show of fine art, antiques and design.
Set in the spectacular South Grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the fair features dining experiences from Le Caprice and Scott’s Seafood & Champagne Bar. This is an enjoyable and educational cultural experience!
Now in its fourth year, Masterpiece London returns for a celebration of the most exquisite in art, antiques and design from across the world.
Hosting internationally renowned exhibitors, the fair is resolutely committed to offering the best objects available, presenting a unique opportunity to collect across multiple disciplines and mixing contemporary with antique, the traditional with the eclectic. All works are stringently vetted by a committee of experts before the fair opens giving buyers every confidence in their choice.
The custom-built pavilion is set against the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a historic London landmark that makes a dramatic backdrop to this stylish event and acts as the perfect showcase for the thrilling mix of art, antiques and design found inside. There will be an engaging programme of talks for visitors to discover more about the works of art for sale in the fair.
This year Masterpiece London welcomes The Courtauld Gallery as its museum beneficiary. The outstanding collection stretches from the early Renaissance into the 20th century and also includes fine examples of sculpture and decorative arts making it the perfect complement to the fair.
Masterpiece London offers dining options at Le Caprice, Scott’s Seafood & Champagne Bar, the Mount Street Deli, and Urban Caprice to ensure that the fair delivers a truly aesthetic and epicurean experience.
Thomas Woodham- Smith is the Creative Director at Masterpiece London, and is largely responsible for creating the most interesting and attractive Fair in the UK, and attracting some of the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan exhibitors, dealers and collectors in the World.
He began his career in 1985 at Mallett plc as a porter, rising through the ranks to become a Director in 1995. Thomas read English at UCL University after attending Westminster School and is fluent in Italian and French.
He has specialised for many years in Continental furniture and also has a great interest in Twentieth Century pieces. He currently serves on the vetting committee of five art and antiques fairs in London and America.
He is an authority on the classic and the peculiar in art and antiques.
Immediately before his role at Masterpiece began in 2011 he was the Managing Director and Board Director of Mallett plc in their London office, where he pioneered buying 20th Century furniture as well as supporting the traditional end of the business through his merger with Hatfields restorers.
Enhancing Mallett’s inventory and streamlining the business, Thomas increased the company’s turnover by a million pounds during his time as Managing Director.
In the course of his innovative 20th century furniture purchases for Mallett, Thomas began working with photographer and furniture designer Willy Rizzo. Rizzo’s outstanding work was particularly supported by Thomas, who facilitated his collaborative exhibition with Paul Smith.
Rizzo recently opened an exhibition space in Paris and is the preferred designer of Lenny Kravitz and Jack Nicholson.
In addition to his work at Masterpiece London, Thomas is developing ‘Sungoose’, which includes a new marketing concept for spirits, a peddle dynamo, a teaching phrase book for schools and a Hungarian café and he continues to be a consultant with Mallett, helping them with acquisitions and acting as an advisor to dealers and clients around the world.
This is a man with a big career ahead of him, and you can see the fruits of his labours at Masterpiece, which is, without doubt, now the most stylish Fair in the UK.
Masterpiece London 2013 will take place from 27 June – 3 July, with a Preview on 26 June on the South Grounds of The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3.
The Fair dates and opening hours are as follows:
Wednesday 26 June, Preview 11.00-22.00
Thursday 27 June & Friday 28 June, 11.00- 21.00
Saturday 29 June & Sunday 30 June, 11.00- 19.00
Monday 1 July, 11.00- 21.00
Tuesday 2 July, 11.00-18.00 followed by the Masterpiece Midsummer Party in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care at 19.00
Wednesday 3 July, 11.00- 21.00
If you are a subscriber to The Vintage Magazine, we will be pleased to arrange for you to visit the Fair, so please telephone Robert Jarman 0n 01962 793134, and we will make the necessary arrangements.
Robert Jarman, editor and founder of The Vintage Magazine
