2024 Highlights

At the heart of British Art Fair are the dealers’ stands devoted to Modern British Art – historically speaking from the 1880s to the later 20th century, with the occasional overlap into the 21st. Discover a few of the highlights that awaited visitors.

The Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust joined as Exhibition Partner, with a selection of Barns-Graham’s works alongside pieces by six contemporary artists supported by the Trust. A special video room showed filmed performances by Alyson Hallett of poems from her recently published collection ‘End of the Glacier' inspired by Barns-Graham’s Glaciers works.

A book launch for the new publication ‘Wilhelmina Barns-Graham. The Glaciers’ was held at 2pm on Saturday. Art Historian and Curator Alice Strang discussed Barns-Graham’s Glacier series and essay ‘Into the Vortex’ included in the new book. Alyson Hallett also performed a selection of her poems during the launch.

SOLO CONTEMPORARY, British Art Fair’s contemporary platform curated by artist and gallerist Zavier Ellis, returned for the third year. SOLO CONTEMPORARY is a project where cutting edge galleries and dealers exhibit a set of works by one star of the contemporary art world, and is a continuation of British Art Fair's founding principle to champion British art and artists.

Abe Odedina, presented by Virginia Damtsa and The African Art Hub was awarded the SOLO CONTEMPORARY Artist Award 2024, sponsored by Winsor & Newton and the Contemporary Art Academy.

SOLO Curated presented work by artists exhibiting in the SOLO Contemporary section of British Art Fair. Together, the two zones highlighted the diverse and vibrant nature of contemporary painting in the UK today, whilst art fair and curatorial presentations offer a re-contextualisation of how work can be enjoyed in a multi-layered ecosystem. Selected and curated by Zavier Ellis, the artists in SOLO Curated represented the dynamism that continues to evolve within contemporary British painting.

Image: Detail of Yumi Katayama, 'You Never Remember', 2024, Oil on canvas, 150x120cm. White Conduit Projects, SOLO Contemporary Stand 4

‘PIVOTAL: Digitalism’ was an innovative new section dedicated to British digital art today. Curated by Rebekah Tolley-Georgiou, PIVOTAL brought together leading artists in the field of digital art.

PIVOTAL: Digitalism provided visitors with immersive experiences in digital art, and the oppurtunity to see the latest AI, AR, VR, digital sculpture, moving image, photography and painting being created.

WaterAid highlighted the importance of the humble loo with the exciting exhibition and auction: ‘Best Seat in the House’. The collaboration with renowned photographer Rankin has seen 25 artists and celebrities design their own unique toilet seat to raise awareness and vital funds to help ‘lift the lid’ on the sanitation crisis.

This remarkable collection of one-of-a-kind artworks, features contributions from Martin Parr, George Morton-Clark, Boy George, Dame Zandra Rhodes, Pam Hogg, Val Garland, Ozwald Boateng, Pure Evil, Hayden Kays, Sophie Tea and Harry Hill, among others, who have added a splash of luxury to an everyday item - showcasing how toilets, a basic necessity for many, remain a luxury for 1.5 billion people.

This marked the third year of a successful charity partnership between WaterAid and British Art Fair.

On Friday night, the fair was open until 9pm with complimentary drinks provided by partners Sipsmith and Prime Time Lager. A special event, ‘Meet the artists’, was open to all visitors, and provided the opportunity to meet artists and discuss their work in an informal way.

Our Collectors’ Preview was held on Thursday 26th September night in partnership with the world-leading furniture and fine art restoration company, Plowden & Smith.