The Olympia Fair, a landmark event on the London art and antiques calendar for 35 years, has seen and survived many changes over the decades. Since its start in 1973, it has grown, shrunk, reinvented itself, expanded and retreated, changed names, management and ownership, while always managing to remain an admired and hugely popular fixture in the antiques world.
This year’s fair, which ran from June 5 to 15, exemplified its ability to change, and †perhaps more importantly, predicting the need for it †ensured Olympia’s continued success. The spring show, which stood alone for years before being joined by the February and November events, is without doubt a premier event again. Next year, after a drawn out display of survival of the fittest, will bring only two Olympia fairs. The June fair will return to its flagship status, on a par with major worldwide shows, and the exit of the February fair positions the November event for a more traditional role.
Now renamed Olympia International Art and Antiques Fair, it is smaller than in previous years, with 260 top dealers in a stunning layout and a new patron in Sir Timothy Clifford. This most recent incarnation garnered high praise from exhibitors and visitors alike.
Fair director Freya Simms spoke on behalf of the organizers, Clarion Events, and echoed the feelings of both dealers and buyers, commenting, “We are really proud of what has been achieved at Olympia. This year the fair looks spectacular and is a testament to the hard work and creative flair of the exhibitors in designing the stands and bringing such quality stock. Our visitor numbers are up and we are building for 2009.”
It is fitting that the term “The Three Rs” was coined by Sir William Curtis, an early Nineteenth Century mayor of London. He would no doubt approve of the adaptation Regroup, Reflect and Relief to define the reinvented Olympia.
The regrouping involved for this revamped fair meant the loss of some specific niche dealers, leaving the field to more established “players” and prompting some to worry that the thrill of finding the odd-ball bargain would no longer exist. The doubts and fears were unfounded and unnecessary. When dealers, buyers and collectors converge, there will always be the thrill of the hunt †successful for some ⁷ith only the playing field changing over time.
As in just about every industry, along with change, much remains the same. Olympia still has longtime exhibitors, including some from the inaugural fair 35 years ago, and this year, in particular, many of them were noticeably reflective. Memories flowed along with the champagne on opening night with anecdotes of past shows, selling out daily, boxes piled high on every surface for shippers and American buyers, and, of course, many remembered the wonderful items that once were so readily available in house sales or local auctions and now were nowhere to be found.
Regrouping and reflection aside, relief was the strongest sense prevailing at the end of the fair. The economy and changing patterns of American buyers were predictable potential problems. Coupled with many other variables, known and unknown, it is fair to say that the show opened with some apprehension on both sides of the aisle. The first day started well, with reports of strong sales across all sectors, and by the close of the ten-day show with numbers up by seven percent over last year, the metaphorical exhalation was almost audible.
American buyers were noticeably fewer than in past years. Balancing that fact, however, the sole American exhibitor, Todd Merrill, reportedly sold his entire stand, needing an urgent replacement supply to be rushed from his New York City showroom. High-profile American decorators Bennett Weinstock, Rose Tarlow and Mario Buatta added to the US presence and London dealer Gibson Antiques sold a rare Chinese porcelain vase for almost $500,000 to a private American collector on the second day of the fair. It was among many six figure sales that were reported in several categories.
Any gap resulting from the lack of overseas buyers was bridged with an increase in British regional collectors. Furniture sold consistently well to UK private buyers, and Kuwaiti collectors were also seen buying strongly. Beedham Antiques from Hungerford, Berkshire, quickly found a buyer for a chest of drawers once owned by Charles Dickens, and Craig Carrington had an epidemic of red dots on the neoclassical furniture and sculpture in his booth at the end of opening day, most sales to English private collectors.
Jewelry is a consistent attraction at Olympia, perhaps even more so this year as Clarion linked with Coutts’ London Jewelry Week to host a diamond lunch for well-dressed and -heeled London socialites. London specialist in Twentieth Century jewelry, Peter Edwards sold a bracelet for $100,000 in the opening moments of the fair, while another London dealer, Symbolic and Chase, made up for a very slow first day with an empty booth when its goods were delayed in customs returning from the Las Vegas show. The dealer’s sales throughout the show included a show-stopping ten-carat emerald cut diamond for $750,000 and a pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings for an undisclosed sum.
“Steady” was a key word often heard, with many dealers reporting a consistent or very good fair on all levels. Pelham, Robert Young and Lennox Cato all had important sales; Richard Price, the only clock dealer in the fair, sold five pieces and most, if not all, exhibitors were happy at show’s end. An exception on the positive side, and there were others, too, was London painting dealer Jeremy Taylor, who enjoyed his best show in ten years, selling two Edward Seago paintings and two China Trade paintings among others, bucking the general consensus of staying steady for exceptionally successful.
The next Olympia International Art and Antiques Fair will take place in London from June 4 to 14, 2009. For information, + 44 207 370 8238 or www.clarionevents.co.uk .
