10 of the Best Stands at Masterpiece London 2018

Installation view of Steinitz Paris (C27) at Masterpiece London.

London’s most extensive art fair kicked off this week with great fanfare. Masterpiece London, located in Chelsea’s historic Barracks, brings together a wealth of high-quality objects from a breadth of categories including fine, modern, contemporary and decorative art, jewelry and watches, furniture, antiquities and more. In an effort to make navigating this larger-than-life fair more manageable, we scoured the exhibitors for the best examples across some of our favorite categories.


Didier Ltd (Stand A12)

Best for: Jewelry

Installation view of Didier (A12) at Masterpiece London.

Didier’s selection of exquisite and extraordinary designs includes pieces from some of art history’s greatest artists, such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Alexander Calder, as well as objects from more recent graduates and jewelers loved by those in-the-know. With somewhat unconventional materials including hair and extruded glass, the work on display is must-see for die-hard jewelry fans.


Bowman Sculpture (Stand D9)

Best for: Sculpture

Installation view of Bowman Sculpture (D9) at Masterpiece London.

Offering sculpture from contemporary artists and work dating back to 1860, Mayfair’s Bowman Sculpture positioned work by heavyweights Henry Moore, Marino Marini, Pablo Picasso and Auguste Rodin alongside contemporary sculptors including Emily Young (known as “Britain’s greatest living stone sculptor”), Richard Hudson and Hanneke Beaumont. Rough, hammered surfaces meet organic reflections, giving a feel for the richness of the category.


ArtAncient (Stand B15)

Best for: Antiquities

Installation view of ArtAncient (B15) at Masterpiece London.

ArtAncient is focusing their Masterpiece booth on natural history for art collectors in a presentation entitled “Maker Unknown.” Pieces on view include glass formed from lightning in sand, frozen in time in its new form. In the place of honor is an eye-catching fossilized palm frond. As founder Costas Paraskevaides told the Financial Times, “This is an immature market. We are trying to exercise high standards regarding condition and beauty. It is about making an aesthetic judgment and separating the best from the rest.”


Edward Barnsley Workshop (Stand B43)

Best for: Furniture

Installation view of Edward Barnsley Workshop (B43) at Masterpiece London.

The Edward Barnsley Workshop is one of the UK’s most important furniture makers. This year at Masterpiece they are presenting limited edition sculptural furniture designed by a Barnsley protégé, James Ryan. Sophisticated textures of scrubbed and scorched oak provide a rustic feel of the maker’s mark and stand out against a stark black backdrop.


Thomas Gibson Fine Art (Stand C4)

Best for: Fine Art

Installation view of Thomas Gibson Fine Art (C4) at Masterpiece London.

Thomas Gibson Fine Art, known for supporting works from Old Masters through to 19th and 20th century, focuses much of this year’s display on pastel, charcoal and pencil drawings by the legendary London painter RB Kitaj.


Somlo (Stand C25)

Best for: Watches

Installation view of Somlo (C25) at Masterpiece London.

Somlo is the world’s only vintage Omega specialist shop, dedicating half their Masterpiece display to the best of Omega watches through time. Other watches in stock at Somlo date back to 16th century and include balance spring watches, complicated repeaters, enamels and showpiece Art Deco cocktail watches as well as contemporary wristwatches.  


Modernity (Stand B17)

Best for: Mid-Century Modern

Installation view of Modernity (B17) at Masterpiece London.

Modernity is the leading gallery for vintage Scandinavian design with an emphasis on Post-War furniture, lighting and interiors. Expect organic vases, muted colors and geometric shapes in the works on view at their Masterpiece stand.


DAG Modern & Contemporary (Stand A48)

Best for: Contemporary Art

Installation view of DAG (A48) at Masterpiece London.

DAG, the Indian Modern and Contemporary art specialist, brings a regional narrative into international context with colorful and thought-provoking paintings on a grand scale. 


Robert Young Antiques (Stand C9)

Best for: Folk Art

Installation view of Robert Young Antiques (C9) at Masterpiece London.

At Masterpiece London, Robert Young curates intricate and charming folk art in a shabby chic interior setting. Works on display include a Butcher Shop Diorama and nautical themed objets d’art. About Masterpiece, Robert Young says, “The primitive and vernacular works we handle, which were generally created by anonymous untrained hands, get to be seen in the same forum as works by some of the most significant talents and eminent artists from the narrative of mainstream art history.”


Steinitz Paris (Stand C27)

Best for: Sumptuous interiors

Installation view of Steinitz Paris (C27) at Masterpiece London.

Legendary French dealer Steinitz curates objects from the Middle Ages to the 20th century and presents them here in an eclectic, sumptuous environment. Roman statues converse with Rococo works, fine veneers, marbles, silks and embroidery. At Steinitz, you will see luxury icons from every age.


Masterpiece London is open until July 4, 2018 at the South Grounds of The Royal Hospital Chelsea.