Enfilade

From the fair’s website:

Masterpiece London 2012
Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, 28 June — 4 July 2012

Now in its third year Masterpiece London confirms its position as the capital’s leading art and antiques fair. This is no ordinary event, but a forum for distinctive design and aesthetic excellence where every exhibit offered is scrutinized by a team of experts to ensure every confidence in each purchase. The variety on offer at the fair is second to none: cars, wine, contemporary design and exquisite jewellery sit alongside the best of the fine and decorative arts. Presenting a snapshot of the history of art and design from antiquity to the present day, visitors will relish the chance to acquire rare collectors’ items or simply enjoy temptation on a grand scale. There is nowhere better than Masterpiece London 2012 to discover a rich and varied treasure trove. . .

If your interest is piqued by what you see, Masterpiece London offers you the chance to develop your knowledge and appreciation. During each day of the fair, select exhibitors will present insights into their given area of expertise so if your interest is portraits or pocket watches, mirrors or miniatures, Degas or diamonds, Masterpiece London gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the finest examples shown at the fair and to learn from the world’s leading luminaries.

Building on the success of 2010 and 2011 Masterpiece London promises you an impressive choice of art and design enlivened with its own special twist to ensure you have a memorable and enjoyable visit. All is displayed in a fresh and lavish setting, so that whether you are a seasoned collector, or a new buyer or just an admirer of exquisite beauty, you will experience countless opportunities to buy, enjoy and learn from.

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Of all the events associated with the fair, Saturday’s Wallace Collection Symposium might be most interesting to Enfilade readers:

Wallace Collection Symposium at Masterpiece London
Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, 30 June 2012

The Wallace Collection will be hosting a symposium on Saturday 30 June, led by Director, Dr Christoph Vogtherr. There will be four talks by Collection curators, from 11.30 – 16.00 on great collectors and their collections to include the French court of Louis XVI and British collecting in the nineteenth century.

11.30 A Golden Age: Collecting Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture and Decorative Arts in the Nineteenth Century
Jeremy Warren, Collections and Academic Director

12.00 Nineteenth-Century British Collectors of Contemporary French Paintings
Stephen Duffy, Curator of Pictures

13.00 Lunch

14.30 Royal Collectors at the Court of Louis XVI
Helen Jacobsen, Curator French Eighteenth-Century Decorative Arts

15.15 How Paintings Were Displayed in the Eighteenth Century
Christoph Vogtherr, Director

The day and each talk is free to Masterpiece London ticket holders. To reserve a place at the symposium, please email contact@masterpiecefair.com with your full name and address, with the subject: The Wallace Collection Symposium, indicating how many spaces you wish to reserve and a confirmation letter will be sent to you. Places are subject to availability.

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Note (added 9 July 2012) — A press release highlighting the successes of Masterpiece London 2012 is available at Art Daily.