Boutique Fairs Challenge Frieze Week Norms with Hotel-Room Model and No Stand Fees
Amidst London’s Frieze Week, three smaller art fairs provide alternatives to conventional formats. Tomorrow marks the debut of the London Invitational, created by James Cope, at The Chancery Rosewood, where 12 exhibitors will display their work in guest rooms, including Franklin Parrasch Gallery and Lomex Gallery. Cope previously initiated the Dallas Invitational in 2023, paving the way for this London iteration. Fair Play Art Fair, established by Ryan Stanier, is hosted at One Marylebone, with no upfront fees but a 42% commission on sales, featuring around 70 artists, such as Curtis Holder. Now in its fourth year, Minor Attractions has relocated to The Newman hotel, showcasing over 75 galleries and introducing Major Futures to aid emerging artists amidst UK funding reductions.
Key facts
- The London Invitational launches tomorrow at The Chancery Rosewood in the former US embassy on Grosvenor Square.
- The fair features 12 exhibitors in individual guest rooms on a single floor.
- James Cope founded the Dallas Invitational in 2023 at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.
- Fair Play Art Fair charges no upfront stand fee but takes a 42% commission on sales.
- Fair Play is held at One Marylebone, a former church designed by John Soane, near Regent’s Park.
- Minor Attractions has moved to The Newman hotel and occupies 16 rooms with over 75 galleries.
- Minor Attractions launched Major Futures, a non-profit arm supporting emerging artists.
- The fairs respond to rising costs and fatigue with large-scale events like Frieze and Art Basel.
Entities
Artists
- James Cope
- Eero Saarinen
- Ryan Stanier
- John Soane
- Curtis Holder
- Tim Noble
- Robert Montgomery
- Sophie Barrett-Pouleau
- Jonny Tanna
- Savannah Harris
- Philip Steele
- Moses Tan
- Max King
- Code FC
- Otto Schade
- Jay Kaes
- Fin DAC
- Pez Barcelona
- Eleanor Turnbull
- Ditte Blohm
- Lea Rose Kara
- Bruna Denegri
- Zoe Guillen
- Carolina Aranibar-Fernández
- Julia Fullerton-Batten
- Frida Kahlo
- Philip Vermeulen
- Nam June Paik
- Aurélien Lepetit
- Joonhong Min
- Victoria Roth
- Jessie Makinson
- Dan Mitchell
- Ed Ruscha
- Josef Albers
- Edmund de Waal
- John Chamberlain
- Ken Price
- Howard Hodgkin
- Robyn Denny
- Prunella Clough
- Roger Hilton
- Peter Alexander
- Indivi Sutton
- Ian Stanton
Institutions
- The London Invitational
- Dallas Invitational
- Dallas Art Fair
- Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
- Rosewood Hotel Group
- The Chancery Rosewood
- Qatari Diar
- Franklin Parrasch Gallery
- Lomex Gallery
- Bel Ami
- Vardaxoglou
- Fair Play Art Fair
- The Other Art Fair
- One Marylebone
- Frieze London
- Minor Attractions
- The Mandrake
- The Newman
- Harlesden High Street
- Tala
- Joey Ramone
- Norito
- Laila
- Starch
- Major Futures
- The Carlyle
- Art Basel
- John Ruskin Prize
- Hypha Studio
- Echo Soho
- Art Expo
- Affordable Art Fair
- LAILA
- Plicnik Space Initiative
- Trieze
- Gallery Different
- Paraiso
- La Rebelde
- NUBE
- The Light Gallery
- Town Hall by Bottaccio
- Saatchi Gallery
- London Invitational
- Broadway
- François Ghebaly
- Lomex
- Gathering
- Frieze Masters
- Frieze Week
- Andrew Reed Gallery
- Charles Asprey
- EUROPA
- James Cope Gallery
- James Kelly Contemporary
- LOMEX
- Marinaro
- franklin parrasch gallery
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Dallas
- United States
- Grosvenor Square
- Regent’s Park
- Fitzrovia
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Rotterdam
- Netherlands
- Sydney
- Australia
- Singapore
- Qatar
- Southwark Bridge Road
- Battersea
- Newman Street
- Percy Street
- Marylebone
- King’s Cross
- Shoreditch
- Mayfair
- Miami
- Las Vegas
- Paris
- France