Press Release

Now in its second year, the newly expanded Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair will

feature 50 leading international galleries, showcasing 1000 years of art from across the

Eastern world. The Fair will be opened by TV art critic, Andrew Graham Dixon in the

presence of HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO and His Excellency Mr Yury Fedotov,

Ambassador of the Russian Federation. The Charity Gala Evening will be attended by

Ambassadors and Cultural Attachés from Asia and the Far East.

Following the successful launch of the Russian Fine Art Fair in 2009, the Fair has been

expanded to include art from Asia and the Middle East. Reflecting the latest enthusiasm in

London for art from the former Persia, India, China, Korea and Vietnam, specialist galleries

will show a stunning mix of traditional and modern fine art from these regions. Contemporary

and traditional paintings will hang alongside perennially-popular items such as Chinese and

Japanese ceramics, sculpture, objets d’art, metalwork, furniture and carpets.

Key works on display include a beautiful watercolour of the stage design for The Firebird by

Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962). In 2008, Goncharova’s Les Fleurs set a world record price

for a female artist, selling for £5.5 million ($10.8 million) at Christies, London. Two modern

masters of Indian art, M F Husain and S H Raza will also be among the highlights of the Fair

(both achieved prices over $2.5 million last year), as will Lee Sun-Don, the only artist from

Taiwan to have shown at the Venice Biennale. For sheer luxury and glamour, a majestically-

crafted timepiece featuring over 4,000 diamonds, gold, pearls, amethyst and nephrite will be

offered by a leading Russian jewellery company for a price well into seven figures.

In recent years, art from the East has soared in popularity and value. Two thirds of Russian

modern and contemporary art sold worldwide is sold in London*, which has seen a major rise

in auction sales and the opening of specialist galleries to cater for demand.

“London not only has a burgeoning local collector base, but is a magnet for collectors

flying in from London and Kiev.” Gareth Harris, Financial Times 2009.

Chinese art is rapidly growing in popularity and value - boosted by the country’s soaring

economy. Such is the importance of the capital for Chinese fine art that The Art Market

Monitor recently stated that ‘the capital of China is London’. This is underlined by the fact

that there are more specialist dealers in Chinese and Oriental art in London than in the rest of

Europe and the USA combined.

Art from the Middle East and India is now emerging in a similar fashion, fuelled by major

sales of Arab, Iranian and Indian fine art at the major auction houses. There is real dynamism

in this sector, with young Eastern and Asian artists emerging onto the international stage.

Charles Saatchi has recently showcased major exhibitions of Indian and Middle-Eastern art

and is seeking to open a gallery in the United Arab Emirates.

* Figures substantiated by The Art Newspaper, John Varoli 16 December 2009 and Financial Times, Gareth

Harris, 21 March 2009.

GALLERIES

50 leading international galleries will showcase a stunning array of the finest works produced

by Eastern craftsmen over the last millennium.

Among those confirmed are Sphinx Fine Art and Chaucher Fine Arts from London with

major 19th Century and 20th Century Russian Avant-garde works; Jacques Monasch Gallery

from Moscow and Amsterdam together with John Barkes and Hampstead Gallery from

London and Lazare Gallery from the USA will display a range of 20th Century and Soviet

Realist paintings; Sydney Moss Ltd., Kevin Page Oriental Art and David Brower

Antiques from London will show important Oriental antiques, as will Lotus Asian Art &

Antiques from the USA; Oriental carpets and textiles come from Rupert Smith Textiles and

Brian MacDonald amongst others; Bernard Shapero Rare Books from London will display

a wide range of antique Russian and Oriental works of art; Oc-Eo Art and Durlacher Fine

Art from the UK will show paintings by major Vietnamese and Georgian artists, while Tanya

Baxter Contemporary, Salon Contemporary, ArtsRepublik and Catto Gallery from

London will showcase important works by leading contemporary artists from China and

India.

Islamic and Middle-Eastern antiques items are shown by a number of galleries, including

Kent Antiques from London.

Jewellery is offered by leading specialists, including Victor Moiseikin’s Russian Luxury –

including an exquisite timepiece containing over 4,000 diamonds. Important icons will be on

sale from Paretski Antiques, Berlin and Made in Russia, USA; AASN, UK will display

silver and items from the Crimean War, while Ukranian art will be offered by Danusha Fine

Arts and ArteLia from London.

Traditional and Modern Indian art is offered by a number of galleries including Art 1821

from Norwich and Kings Road Gallery, London with some major Indian artists including

Sacha Jafri, S.H.Raza and M.F. Husain. Middle Eastern art comes from galleries from Iran,

Turkey and Europe, including Svenska KonstGalleriet from Sweden. X-Power Gallery

from Beijing, Paris & Beverley Hills will showcase Taiwanese artists including Lee Sun-Don,

the only artist from Asia to hold an exhibition of oil paintings at the Venice Biennale. Russian

contemporary art will be shown by Albermarle Gallery, Hayhill Gallery and White Space

Gallery from London and Vitaly Patsyukov, Centre of Contemporary Art in Moscow.

ROYAL PRIVATE VIEW & CHARITY GALA EVENING

The 2009 Fair proved one of the social highlights of the year for the Russian community, with

a Charity Gala Evening attended by Their Highnesses Prince and Princess Dimitri Lobanov

Rostovsky and other high profile members of the London Russian community, celebrity

clientele, politicians and VIPs. Along with the Ritz Club VIP dinner, the evening raised

considerable funds to help children with severe burns and resulted in some substantial six-

figure sales. Three television stations covered the event.

The 2010 Fair will open with a Royal Private View on Wednesday 9th June 2010 when the

winners of the Eastern Art Prizes will be announced by Andrew Graham Dixon and presented

by HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO. The 2010 Charity Gala Evening in aid of the

Children’s Burns Trust takes place on Friday 11th June 2010 and will be a very high profile

and glamorous occasion. Tickets are available from the organisers and require advance

booking. Tickets for the public days are available in advance or on the door.

Four television and film companies have already confirmed their attendance for 2010,

including Al Jazeera, Phoenix CNN from China and Art TV who will produce a series of 30

minute programmes exclusively on the Fair. Andrew Graham Dixon’s BBC crew from The

Culture Show will also be conducting interviews, alongside television stations from Russia.

ASIA HOUSE VIP COLLECTORS EVENING

A special evening for Cultural Patrons and members of Asia House and Pushkin House will

be held on Thursday 10th June 2010. There will also be exclusive cocktail receptions and tours

of the Fair for VIP collectors of Russian and Asian art.

LOAN EXHIBITION

A stunning selection of textiles will chart the original Silk Road routes – an important theme

to the Fair.

FAIR CATALOGUE

The Fair Catalogue for the Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair is the most sumptuous

and in-depth publication of its kind – the world’s premier fine art fair catalogue. The hard-

bound publication will also serve as a reference work on the history of Russian, Eastern and

Oriental art. It will have a Foreword by HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO.

VETTING COMMITTEE

The Fair Vetting Committee includes:

Indian and Himalayan Art: Fabio Rossi (Rossi & Rossi)

Japanese Art: Max Rutherston (Sydney L. Moss Ltd.)

Chinese and Oriental: Stuart J. Marchant (Marchant), Robert McPherson (R & G McPherson

Antiques), John Berwald.

Textiles and Carpets: Rupert Smith

Russian Paintings: James Butterwick (James Butterwick Fine Art) & Roy Bolton (Sphinx

Fine Art)

Contemporary: Anthony J Lester FRSA

For press information and images, please contact:

Kara Reaney and Chloe Kinsman at JB Pelham PR

Tel: +44 20 8969 3959

E-mail: kara@jbpelhampr.com and chloe@jbpelhampr.com

For further information on the Fair, please contact:

Peter London

Fair Director

Russian, Eastern & Oriental Fine Art Fair

T: +44 (0)7795 074843 / +44 (0)7540 765840

peter@russianartfair.com

Telephone (UK only): 0845 116 2094

International: +44 (0)20 8998 7923

Russian Speaking: +44 7788 661153

E-mail: info@russianartfair.com

www.russianartfair.com

Russian Art Fair Ltd

(Registered Company No: 6694283)