Enfilade

The 25th London Original Print Fair
Royal Academy of Arts, London, 29 April — 3 May 2010

Howard Hodgkin, "Night Palm," 1990 Hand-coloured etching with carborundum

This April, sixty-seven leading UK and international exhibitors will be brought together for the 25th anniversary of The London Original Print Fair, making it not only the longest-running print fair in the world but also the longest-running art Fair in London. Each year collectors flock to this established event which continues to offer an unrivalled spectrum of prints, covering all periods of Western art, including Canaletto’s etchings and Hogarth’s engravings, and the work of the great nineteenth and twentieth century printmakers. . .

This year sees a rise in exhibitors from Europe, including the return of 17th- and 18th-century French art specialists A & D Martinez (Paris), Pop Art experts Burkhard Eikelmann (Düsseldorf) and first time Belgian exhibitor Winwood Gallery, who will be showcasing a rare collection of original Hockney prints, selling at a wide price range.

For the first time, the Fair has partnered with the Burlington Arcade, which runs adjacent to the Royal Academy. Britain’s first and most beautiful shopping arcade will showcase a ‘print trail’, focused on the theme of ‘Great British Artists’. Select prints will be on display in stores throughout the Arcade leading up to and during the Fair, and retailers will have a limited number of Fair passes to give away to customers.

For a special loan exhibition to mark the 25th anniversary, Antony Griffiths, Keeper of Prints at the British Museum, has been invited to choose a selection of prints from the collection. Out of the Loop will feature works that have never been on public display and will range from rare 15th century engravings to lithographs from the 1920s. Griffiths says “ I feel the need to bring this subterranean world out into public prominence…it shows you how powerful prints can be.” In addition to the exhibition, Griffiths will be holding a talk and walk through the exhibition at 12 noon on Bank Holiday Monday 3 May. . .