PAD Pavilion of Art and Design London 2012 had excellent sales figures.

PAD Pavilion of Art and Design London 2012 had excellent sales figures.

David Franchi, 23rd October 2012

“consistently attracts passionate collectors”

Bae Se Hwa, Steam 12, 2010, © PAD Pavilion of Art and Design

PAD Pavilion of Art and Design London 2012 has seen successful sales figures. A key point for the good deals reported is the diverse mix of Modern Art, Tribal Art, Photography and Design. There was a record number of visitors, many of who returned multiple times throughout the week. Besides, there was a number of secondary sales from clients who have seen the fair, then go to the gallery to look at more pieces.

With the newly Moët Hennessy- PAD London Prize also it has presented were the awards for the Best Piece of Contemporary Design and the one for Decorative Arts, as well as for the Best Stand.

Fair president Patrick Perrin said, ‘I am thrilled by the quality of exhibitors we have had this year. The fair consistently attracts passionate collectors who buy exclusively for pleasure. This is the spirit of PAD that we have nurtured for years.’

Another cornerstone of the PAD Pavilion of Art and Design is the elegant and relaxed setting in the leafy Berkley Square, which goes together with the high quality of the exhibitors. With the added attraction of exhibitors from Asia and a growing roster of blue-chip American dealers, many galleries reported meeting new clients and collectors from day one.

The contingent of new USA galleries had strong feedback on the Modern Art front, with many sales and new contacts made. Andy Warhol’s Flowers (1964) sold for $2.5 million at Skarstedt Gallery, which recently opened a new space in Mayfair, while a painting from the artist’s Black & White series (1986) went for $350,000 at Van de Weghe Fine Art. Joan Miró’s Personnages (1977) sold for €200,000 at Spanish newcomer Mayoral Galeria d’Art. Luxembourg & Dayan (London/New York) sold the majority of their stand, featuring a one-man show of Panda Paintings (2012) by Rob Pruitt, which went for $120,000 each.

Design has been consistently strong throughout the fair, with 20th Century Parisian furniture dealers such as Galerie du Passage and Galerie Downtown selling out the majority of their stands. Blairman & Sons Ltd (London), dealers of turn-of-the-century furniture, had a silver tray by Christofle & Cie acquired on opening night by the Carnegie Museum in the United States.

Tribal Art also sold especially well at the fair this year. Entwistle (London/Paris) sold the masterpiece of their stand, a Dan Female Figure from Liberia, for an undisclosed sum, amongst other artefacts. A spokesperson for the gallery said, ‘We’ve had a good week and it’s been better at PAD than Frieze Masters!’

Peter Beard, 47 Inch Rhino, 1963, © PAD Pavilion of Art and Design London

Photography sold very well at the stand of Michael Hoppen Gallery (London), with works by William Klein and Bill Brandt going to a very ‘important foundation collection’ for £50,000. The stand practically sold out of Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama’s Tights (2011), from an edition of 15 at £10,400 each.

Collectors have snapped up artist-made jewellery at PAD this year, particularly at the private view evenings. Louisa Guinness, who sold a 1945 necklace by Alexander Calder for $60,000, stated ‘Sales have gone very well – I have neither sat down nor drawn breath! It’s fantastic actually.’

The Collectors Preview and VIP Opening hosted guests such as Michael Bloomberg, Sir Norman Rosenthal, Lord Norman Foster, Sir Ronald and Lady Cohen, Princess Michael of Kent, Amber Le Bon, Bodil Blain, Edward Tang, Patrick Cox, Lady Helen and Tim Taylor, Saffron Aldridge, Brooke de Ocampo, Danielle Issa Helayel, Jeremy Healy, Emma Woollard, Sol Campbell, Anish Kapoor, Kay Saatchi, Marc Quinn, Eva Herzigova, Bruno Wang & Yasmin Ghandehari, Rolf Sachs, Suzy Menkes, and Robin Birley. Other notable visitors to the fair throughout the week included Stella Tennant, Martha Stewart, Phoebe Philo, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Rufus Sewell, Princess Chantal of Hanover and Ron Arad.

From 10th until 14th October 2012, in Berkeley Square, Mayfair.