Mayfair Art Weekend Highlights: Lobster Chairs at a Surrealist Luncheon, DJ Music to Yves Klein / James Turrell Works

  • LONDON, United Kingdom
  • /
  • June 20, 2018

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James Turrell, Orca Blue-Red,1969, Light installation, Dimensions variable. Courtesy Levy Gorvy Gallery.

London's Mayfair Art Weekend (29 June - 1 July 2018), in partnership with the ​Royal Academy of Arts, will present an extensive programme of exhibitions, events, talks and tours across Mayfair & St James’s. Mayfair Art Weekend celebrates the diverse offering of this historic cultural district, internationally renowned as a vibrant hub of creativity and craftsmanship, where the worlds of art, fashion and luxury converge.

Over 40 galleries, including David Zwirner, Gagosian, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac and Hauser + Wirth, will participate in this year’s Mayfair Art Weekend. New galleries for 2018 include Cardi Gallery, Christie’s, kamel mennour, Mall Galleries, Mimosa House, Olivier Malingue, Peter Harrington Rare Books, Richard Saltoun and Senesi Contemporanea.

Mayfair Art Weekend 2017, photo by David Parry, courtesy of Mayfair Art Weekend

The Gallery HOP! will launch the weekend with over 35 galleries hosting special evening viewings and events from 6-8pm on Friday 29 June with drinks sponsor Sipsmith Gin. Lévy Gorvy gallery have invited London based DJ Cedric Bardawil to perform for their Gallery HOP! event, where he will play music in response to their exhibition featuring the works of artists Yves Klein and James Turrell.

Exhibitions on view over the weekend include works by internationally acclaimed artists such as Richard Prince at Skarstedt Gallery - showing early ‘Joke Paintings’ previously unseen in the UK; Howard Hodgkin at Gagosian - an exhibition of the artist's last paintings; Christo & Jeanne-Claude at Stern Pissarro Gallery-presenting preparatory works for some of their most important and iconic public works.

This year’s programme has a strong showing of British artists, with over a third of the exhibitions on view including British names, which range from street artist Ben Eine to Victorian artist Sir Walter Sickert. Many participating galleries will shine a spotlight on female artists, with American installation artist Carol Bove at David Zwirner, contemporary video artist Tejal Shah at Mimosa House, and groups shows such as Land of Lads, Land of Lashes at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac - showcasing sculptural works by three outstanding pioneers of Minimal and Post-Minimal Art - and Hypnagogia at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery - an exhibition of female artists whose paintings offer a distilled interpretation of reality. Creative partner, Max Mara will host a talk on Saturday 30 June, 11am, with Whitechapel Gallery director, Iwona Blazwick on the importance of supporting female artists and the history of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women.

Within the Royal Academy, UAL student curators - using the RA’s Collection as a starting point - will takeover the RA’s newly re-launched Burlington Gardens spaces to programme D i s s e c t i o n s -– a student-led festival of art, film, music and performance on view from 30 June - 1 July. From the examination of the body through anatomical drawings, to the scientific techniques of 19th century colour mixing or architectural casts, the process of dissection reveals much about the processes of creating art while exposing the human form. 

The RA’s Annenberg Courtyard w​ill serve as a central hub across the weekend providing visitors with a place to eat, drink and relax while engaging in a free arts festival, including artists talks, creative workshops and artist-led tours of participating galleries. 

On Sunday afternoon Burlington Gardens will be temporarily pedestrianised to accommodate The Long Artists’ Lunch - an afternoon of delicious food, art and lively conversation. Hosted by British artist, and Royal Academician, Bob and Roberta Smith, the lunch will be served on a 15 metre long surrealist art themed tablescape designed by artist duo Philip and Charlotte Colbert. Visitors can sit on lobster chairs and amongst eccentric table settings for an afternoon of artist-led discussions, performances and interventions. Guests can drop in, bring or buy a delicious meal from an Italian tapas stall by Company of Cooks, and join in artist led
discussions.

In addition, there will be over 40 special events across the weekend within the galleries and auctions and fashion houses, ranging from bookbinding workshops, pop-up bookstores and artist led tours. Visitors can join art market specialists and journalists Georgina Adam and Stephanie Dieckvoss for a discussion on Is Faking on the Rise; a talk with photographer ​Angela Williams looking back at her career in the studio of celebrity photographer Norman Parkinson; an exhibition tour of Carol Bove’s show at David Zwirner with director James Green and JJ Charlesworth, Senior Editor, ArtReview; or a print workshop with the artist Dan Baldwin at Maddox Gallery. Full listings can be found online from 1 June at: mayfairartweekend.com

Other things to see:
To celebrate 250 years of art in Mayfair & St James’s, three landmark projects will coincide with Mayfair Art Weekend:
● Artist designed flags throughout London’s West End:​ Throughout the summer art will spill out onto the streets of London’s West End with an installation of over 200 artist designed flags on viewacross Bond Street, Piccadilly, Regent Street St. James’s and Regent Street by Royal Academicians Rose Wylie, Grayson Perry, Cornelia Parker and Joe Tilson respectively.
● Art installations on Bond Street: For the first time, London’s famous Bond Street will be transformed by a series of art installations celebrating 250 Years of art in Mayfair. World-leading fashion and fine jewellery brands will come together to unveil an incredible array of artist designed window displays. Brands including Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Victoria Beckham, Temperley London, TODS, Longchamp, Amanda Wakeley, La Perla, Jimmy Choo, Smythson, Fabergé, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co. will collaborate with artists to
create exclusive displays on view from 22 June and throughout Mayfair Art Weekend.


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