London Art Fair (20-25 Jan) asked me to select in advance ten works that I was looking forward to seeing. You can find my ‘Curated Collection’ here – and I did indeed enjoy them in the flesh. Now, for ten works I discovered and appreciated while actually strolling around the fair
Roger Hilton: ‘Untitled’, 1973, at Middlemarch Fine Art
An appealingly fluid gouache from Hilton (1911-75), just preceding the work of his last bed-ridden years when he turned from being one of the most abstract St Ives painters towards representation. You might read this as pure colour and pattern or as somewhere between flower and explosion
Alexander Dalzell: ‘Landscape with Radiator’, 1938, at Stow Art House
Perhaps the most striking painting by an artist I’d never heard of was this oil on board work by the British surrealist Alexander Dalzell (1905-90). Paul Nash meets Salvador Dali, I reckon, in this surprising and presumably pointless way of heating a desert landscape – which wasn’t a one-off flight of fancy, but a favourite motif of his…
Gillian Wise: ‘Seriatim Tower, 1987, at Austin / Desmond
Systems artist Gillian Wise (1936-2020) is best known for wall-based reliefs which come from a left wing constructivist perspective. This less usual aluminium architectural sculpture was inspired by a visit to New York. It’s built on a base of pentagons using consecutive – or seriatim – L-shapes, often cited as ideal for a room in order to allow for the most flexible furnishing options.
Julian Wild: ‘On the Edge (Blue)’, 2025, at TM Lighting / Royal Society of Sculptors
One of the best stands resulted from the welcome fair debut of the Royal Society of Sculptors. Here Julian Wild, who is afraid of heights, channels his fear into a witty glass evocation of that moment when a child gathers themselves for a first-ever leap from a high board. I guess we can assume that the young Wild did not jump.
Solenne Jolivet: ‘Herbs under water #1, 2025, at Ruup & Form
At eleven, Solenne Jolivet told her parents she wanted to be an embroiderer: she duly took a degree in Textile Arts and went into the Parisian fashion industry, working on projects for such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Dior, before redefining herself as an artist ‘working with threads as a painter’. Gallery director Varuna Kollanethu told me the secret to Jolivet applying these broad sweeps of yarn is in the wrist action.
Richard McVetis: ‘Orbit’, 2025, at Cavaliero Finn
Richard McVetis renders his forms with fantastically intricate, meditatively-applied stitching on dense wool, here to suggest the invisible forces outer space. He adds pins that introduce the humorous possibility of a snail in outer space – though they may represent yellow satellites, as well as serving as a means to attach the orbiting moon to the paper.
Gillian Ayres: ‘Here We Go A Maying’, 1988, at Aurulum
There is plenty of Gillian Ayres at the Fair: I guess she’s been dead long enough for her reputation to be burnished, but not so long the market that it is hard to source work… Perhaps the pick was this exuberant evocation of spring – reminding us that it should be on its welcome way soon!
Elisabeth Frink: ‘Plant Head’, 1963, at Messums
One associates Frink with animals more than plants, and this dense near-metre high bronze does have a corporeal presence, with what look like buttocks swelling as well as flowers inscribed on the surface and a top-leaf that twists off. Frink saw it as fossil-like, with man changing into animal, animal into plant – like an evolution in reverse. It also reminded me of Daumier’s famous cartoon of Louis Philippe as a pear.
Charles Oakley: ‘The Letter Reading’, 1992, at Castlegate House Gallery
Charles Oakley (1925-2008) is known mainly for his landscapes of industrial Northern England, typically with a surreal tinge and references to Old Masters. This watercolour with acrylic moves indoors to tweak Vermeer cheekily enough to make it surreal by 19th century standards: that’s the dress of the ‘Woman in Blue Reading a Letter’, 1662, draped over the chair.
Time For The Oniric: ‘Ascender’, 2024, and installation view at Perve Galeria
The Lisbon gallery describe the young Portuguese collaboration, composed of Micaela Guedes and Carina Prazeres, as surreal, symbolic and feminist. Their arrestingly pink and yellow installation playfully featured wall paintings behind the paintings on canvas. Not that I’m sure why this wolf woman – her six teats falling between the human two and the canine eight – is so confused about which way is up, nor why the duo’s name spells ‘oneiric’ unconventionally.
Paul Carey-Kent will be at London Art Fair on Saturday, 12:00 – 1:00pm for a talk with the equally wonderful Tabish Khan to launch his new book (and FAD’s first published book) Galleries To Go.
Available to purchase for the special price of £5 – Paul will also be signing copies
Join writer, critic and curator Paul Carey-Kent in conversation with Tabish Khan for a lively introduction to his new book Galleries To Go, published by FAD. Drawing on decades immersed in London’s art scene, Paul will reflect on his life as an art critic, the role of galleries in shaping culture, creativity and community, and why visiting physical spaces — encountering art and artists in the flesh — remains essential.
The book spotlights 64 standout London galleries, but with more than 200 to explore across the city, there is far more to discuss. Expect personal insights, behind-the-scenes observations, and an inspiring celebration of the vibrant ecosystem that keeps London’s art world alive and thriving.
Book Tickets for the Talk HERE
Also, if you already have a Ticket/Pass for LAF26 you can visit the talk for FREE
Categories
Tags
- Alexander Dalzell
- Aurulum
- Austin Desmond
- Castlegate House Gallery
- cavaliero finn
- Charles Oakley
- Elisabeth Frink
- Gillian Ayres
- Gillian Wise
- Julian Wild
- London Art Fair
- London Art Fair 2026
- Messums Wiltshire
- Middlemarch Fine Art
- Paul's Fairs
- Perve Galeria
- Richard McVetis
- Roger Hilton
- royal society of sculptors
- Ruup & Form
- Solenne Jolivet
- Stow Art House
- Time For The Oniric
