PAD 2014 London: another successful fair edition.

David Franchi – Monday, 20^th October 2014.

PAD 2014 Pavilion of Art and Design

At its 8^th edition, PAD – Pavilion of Art and Design – London 2014 confirmed to be a remarkable fair event for modern art, design and decorative arts.

PAD London 2014 was on the usual location in Mayfair, London, with 62 prominent galleries from Europe, North America and the Middle East.

With a very unique collecting style, PAD is a blending icon of modern art, photography, design, decorative and tribal arts, which are interrelating and producing new interesting combinations with a special focus on interiors. Major international galleries from Europe, North America and Asia showcased together offering a brilliant choice of coveted works with museum quality standard.

PAD cultivates eclecticism, authenticity and connoisseurship with passion and flair. Its boutique setting is designed to inspire collectors, art consultants, museum experts, interiors specialists, design practitioners and the public alike, making PAD the only this kind of event.

This year has seen an exceptional range of Contemporary Art and Design exhibitors, including Amman Gallery (Germany), which for the first time displayed the latest pieces of design studio Nucleo (Torino, Italy), with a renewed version of their iconic ‘Resin Fossil Table’. Young British designers made a strong appearance at PAD 2014 with Nilufar (Italy) exhibiting works by Bethan Laura Wood from her ‘Criss Cross Collection’, and Gallery Fumi (UK) features ‘Roly Poly daybed’ by Faye Toogood alongside iconic chairs by Alex Hull.

Representing 20th Century Design, Anne-Sophie Duval Gallery is at its first participation to PAD London. It showed iconic pieces of designers from Art Deco period. Galerie Anne-Sophie Duval is one of the first Parisian galleries to have taken part in the rediscovery of French Art Deco creative design.

PAD always give space to out of the ordinary and curiosities galleries. Joining PAD for the first time, Finch & Co (UK) offered a collection of Ethnographic Art and Antiquities from all corners of the globe, from Sri Lanka and the Soloman Islands to Austria and the British Isles.

For expert of Tribal Art galleries, Alain de Monbrison (France), Lucas Ratton (France) and Galerie Flak (France) were present, also first-time participants.

Also interesting the presence of few galleries showing Antiquities and Pre-Colombian Art, including Gordian Weber Kunsthandel (Germany) specialized in important artworks from Antiquity, focusing primarily on the ancient Mediterranean cultures.

Regarding new exhibitors of Modem Art this year, Daniel Blau (UK) put forward a solo exhibit of rediscovered drawings by Andy Warhol, while Robilant + Voena (UK/Italy) focused on Italian Modern Art.

The Photography section has seen the return of Michael Hoppen Gallery with a themed exhibit on horizon in photography by Hunter S. Thompson, and Hamiltons Gallery showcased eye-catching photographs by Guido Mocafico.

Decorative Art has seen the Adrian Sassoon (UK) attendance, the UK’s leading dealer in contemporary ceramics, glass, silver and jewellery.

An interesting niche was the Artist Jewellery section. Leading Elisabetta Cipriani (UK) who engages contemporary artists, by involving the most well know living international sculptors and painters to create wearable sculptures with the use of precious metals and stones.

This year also has seen the presence of French museum and porcelain factory, Sèvres – Cité de la céramique. Established in 1740, this historic institution showcased commissioned works of modern and contemporary ceramic art by designers and with a highlight of fashion designer Gustavo Lins (Brazil).

A peculiarity of the PAD is to have a restaurant and bar made by designers. Each year a new designer engages in the creation and for the 2014 edition David Collins Studio was the responsible.

On behalf of Moet Hennessy, a prestigious judging panel chaired by Jasper Conran and including Zaha Hadid, Julia Peyton-Jones, Nigel Coates and Tom Dixon selected the winner of prizes in three categories. The Best Stand Award was presented to exhibitors displaying originality and exceptional curatorial expertise alongside The Contemporary Design Award and The 20′ Century Decorative Art Award for spectacular works in these fields.

For the first time this year HSBC was the official partner of PAD London. This follows the bank’s sponsorship of PAD Paris for the 9th consecutive year.

PAD London 2014 was at Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London, from 15th until 19th October 2014.