● The artistic and cultural community of Mayfair unite to celebrate one of the most dynamic
creative districts in the world
● Over 60 Mayfair galleries, auction houses, fashion houses and restaurants will stage a rich
array of exhibitions, tours, panel discussions, live performances and pop-ups
● The Royal Academy of Arts will form the central hub for Mayfair Art weekend with a free arts
festival in the RA Courtyard
● For the full programme and further details visit mayfairartweekend.com

Mayfair Art Weekend (30 June - 2 July 2017), in partnership with the Royal Academy of Arts, has announced an extensive programme of exhibitions, events, talks and tours, which will bring the cultural landscape of Mayfair to life. Mayfair Art Weekend celebrates the diverse offering of Mayfair as a vibrant hub of creativity and craftsmanship, where the worlds of art, fashion and luxury converge. Over 60 galleries, auction houses, leading fashion brands and restaurants in Mayfair and St. James’s will open their doors to the public, inviting culture seekers to explore the capital’s commercial galleries out of hours and engage with the world-class curatorial expertise on offer, through a series of special events.

The Royal Academy of Arts will be the hub for Mayfair Art Weekend , providing information about the arts offer in the neighbourhood, and creating a programme of arts activities throughout the weekend, with a special family focus on Sunday.

In the Courtyard, visitors can discover temporary, site-specific artworks by emerging artists as well as taking part in creative workshops led by the Bedroom Artists’ Collective. The RA’s Artistic Director Tim Marlow, ARTiculation and others will host ‘On the Beanbag’, a series of informal conversations with artists, gallerists and local Mayfair figures, while musician and comedian Harriet Braine will perform her ‘Art History Songs’.

Alongside the Summer Exhibition, there will be the rare chance to visit the often hidden RA Schools and see the final year show, where 17 artists present work developed over three intense years of dialogue and exploration, representing the diverse perspective of the RA Schools graduates.

From Old Master paintings to cutting-edge contemporary art, Mayfair Art Weekend brings together a broad range of exhibitions showcasing the virtuosity and expertise on offer in the neighbourhood. Contemporary exhibition highlights include Ian Davenport at Alan Cristea Gallery; Nathalie du Pasquier at Pace Gallery; and Per Kirkeby at Michael Werner Gallery, while those with a taste for twentieth-century art will be well-catered for with exhibitions of Pablo Picasso at Gagosian; Milton Avery at Victoria Miro and Giorgio Morandi at Robilant + Voena.

Sculpture and live performance will form a cornerstone of Mayfair Art Weekend, with leading sculpture specialist
Bowman Sculpture staging an exhibition dedicated to Rodin on the centenary of his death and Chinese multimedia artist Keqing Chen delivering a performance amongst his immersive installation of 3,000 handmade ceramic flowers at Herrick Gallery.

Cementing Mayfair’s position as a centre of the international art world , Mayfair Art Weekend will showcase a global spectrum of art and design from American artist Wayne Thiebaud at White Cube to French post-war artist Yves Klein at Mazzoleni Art, Dutch designer Hella Jongerius at Galerie kreo, Nelson Makomo at Gallery of African Art and Chelpa Ferro at Sprovieri Gallery and British artist and architect Victor Pasmore at Marlborough Fine Art.

Special Events
To begin the weekend early, on Friday evening twenty-one galleries will participate in the Gallery HOP!, a curated tour of the cultural district’s thriving gallery scene.

Over 50 additional events will be hosted by participating galleries over the weekend, ranging from a garden party at Hignell Gallery in honour of Ben Russell’s cactus-inspired sculpture; and a tour of Hauser & Wirth’s Philip Guston, Lee Lozano and Ida Applebroog exhibitions with Director Tom Hunt, to live painting by Eugenie Vronskaya at John Martin Gallery and a pop-up bookstore at David Zwirner.

Guided walking tours of Mayfair will comprise a tour featuring Emily Young’s sculptural installations in Piccadilly by Bill Gerrish, Director of Bowman Sculpture; a “Walk on the Wilde Side” ramble through Mayfair’s Victorian art scene with Colin Sheaf FSA, Chairman of Bonhams UK; and a walk through Burlington Arcade led by the Burlington Beadles.

A series of online recommended walks will be available so that visitors can follow in the footsteps of Mayfair
personalities, such as Charles Saumarez Smith, the RA’s Secretary and Chief Executive.

Fashion & Dining
Fashion brands Max Mara and Globe-Trotter and art and dining destination, Sketch, will be working with artists including a group exhibition at Sketch in collaboration with Kinetica Museum. Hundreds of paper birds will fill the central atrium of Mayfair’s famous shopping gallery, the Burlington Arcade , created by artist and designer Mathilde Nivet. Curator Maev Doyle and broadcaster Joanne Good will lead a fashion and art tour, ‘Dressed and Obsessed’ followed by lunch at HIX Mayfair.

One-off dining experiences will include an art themed all day menu at HIX Mayfair, inspired by dishes from Damien Hirst's and Mark Hix’s Pharmacy 2 restaurant , featuring a specially-created "Less is MAW" cocktail created by The Donovan Bar at Brown's Hotel . Aligning with Mayfair Art Weekend’s ambition to share art with the public, the restaurant will present a selection of new and established artists throughout the weekend, in addition to Mark Hix’s collection of British artworks by Tracey Emin, Matt Collishaw, and other YBAs. Named a “hidden gem” by Jay Rayner in The Observer, Michelin-starred Bonhams Restaurant, headed up by chef Tom Kemble, will be creating a special tasting menu inspired by Mayfair Art Weekend and Bonhams’ Old Masters sale.

Kate Goodwin, the Royal Academy’s Programme Director for Mayfair Art Weekend, said: “The intention of the weekend is to bring as many people to the centre of London to enjoy a vast range of exhibitions, talk to artists and partake in art practice themselves. Additionally the Royal Academy’s programming aims to provide an opportunity for emerging artists to showcase their talent in Mayfair. We want to try to break down the perceived barriers of this prestigious area and open the doors to art for all.”

Victoria Luxem, Project Manager of Mayfair Art Weekend said: "Mayfair Art Weekend once again will be bringing together the vibrant community of artists, craftsmen and experts of the world’s premier art district for the 2017 edition of the event, now in partnership with the Royal Academy of Arts. The doors to Mayfair’s enchanting world of art will be firmly open to all and we look forward to welcoming past and new visitors to explore this unique art district for a weekend of celebrations.”