London. PAD (the Pavilion of Arts and Design fair, until 19 October) is drawing a steady stream of buyers to its smart, boutique-like temporary pavilion in Berkeley Square, near Phillips’ new home, in the heart of Mayfair.
Known for its eclectic mix of design, tribal art, antiquities and Modern and contemporary art, PAD, now in its eighth edition, was praised by exhibitors for its congenial atmosphere. “It’s simply a very pleasant working environment,” said New York-based Stellan Holm (A5), who is selling white works by Lucio Fontana and Christopher Wool, valued at more than £1m each.
The fine art dealers (who comprise 14 of the 62 exhibitors) all reported strong sales by the time the fair opened to the public on Wednesday, with Daniel Blau (C2), who defected from Frieze Masters, selling four drawings by Andy Warhol (ranging in price from €20,000 to €60,000) that were rediscovered in a drawer by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts five years ago. Another work by the artist, Toy Painting (Terrier), 1983, sold at Zürich’s Galerie von Vertes (C7) for an undisclosed sum, although a same-sized work from the same series was still on offer for £150,000.
Mid-20th-century Italian art is in demand in London, and PAD is no exception. Milan’s Galleria Tega (B24) sold an important work by Gino De Dominicis—Untitled, 1985—for €650,000, while Robilant + Voena (B7), which is at PAD for the first time but is also showing at Frieze Masters (FM, D5), sold several works by Paolo Scheggi, valued at between £200,000 and £500,000.
Originally appeared in The Art Newspaper as 'PAD puts collectors in the right mood'