LONDON.- The Pavilion of Art & Design London closed its fifth edition on Sunday with exhibitors reporting strong sales and an impressive turnout of new collectors and visitors. 58 galleries from 11 countries presented the highest-quality works of Modern Painting, Photography, Tribal Art, Design and Decorative Arts from 1860 to today. Tim Jefferies from Hamiltons Gallery stated that ‘the combination of location and the quality of the exhibitors has cemented PAD London’s position as the fair to attend during this hectic season.’ Gallery director David Peckman added ‘the fair is building a reputation that is attracting important new faces’.

Fair directors Patrick Perrin and Stéphane Custot are delighted with the outstanding quality of works showcased and the significant sales reported at the fair this year, creating confidence despite the current economic climate. Perrin and Custot commented on Sunday ‘we are delighted to see how PAD has turned into a successful, mature and inspiring international art event. PAD is more than a fair; it is an eclectic and sophisticated club gathering the finest art and design galleries. Our aim is to put together the most beautiful and exclusive works of art of the 20th Century. As organisers, we are flattered to see such an enthusiastic audience attending the event each year and also how positive PAD is welcomed in London. The fifth edition has been a real success; we are totally confident for the future of the fair.’

Dealers across all genres at PAD London met and sold to new clients at Monday night’s Private Preview, which was attended by major collectors, art patrons, artists and other high-profile figures such as Lady Helen Taylor, Laurence Graff, Lord Rothschild, Elle Macpherson, Princess Chantal of Hanover, Richard Buckley, Norman Rosenthal, Marc Quinn, Saffron Aldridge, Kelly Hoppen, Amanda Eliasch, Max Wigram, Edward Tang, Princess Michael of Kent, Rick Owens and Lady Henrietta Spencer Churchill. Exhibitors Galerie Jacques Lacoste, 88 Gallery, Galleria Tega and Cristina Grajales all reported they made new contacts and conducted significant sales on the opening night. Modern furniture design dealer Gordon Watson said ‘[the Private Preview] was the best opening ever. Our expectations of London’s hottest fair have again been exceeded.’ Alma Luxembourg of Luxembourg & Dayan said ‘the turnout was fantastic - we made new contacts and sold to collectors who were interested and engaged.’ Within the first twenty minutes of the fair Dansk Møbelkunst had sold a chair by Finn Juhl at €70,000, while 88 Gallery completely sold out their stand after the first evening and had to replenish with new pieces, including Ado Chale’s ‘Luna’ Table (1928) which went to a collector with an asking price of £50,000.

Later in the week, the fair was visited by renowned collectors including Christie’s owner François Pinault and fashion designer and filmmaker Tom Ford. Galleries reported major sales including a striking seven-slash red canvas by Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale Attese (1966) at Dickinson Gallery , with an asking price in the region of €3m, as well as Helio Oiticia’s Metaesquema No 191 (1958) with an asking price near $300,000. The New York-based Van de Weghe Fine Art sold incredibly well at the fair, with a canvas by Jean-Michel Basquiat for $2.2m, 'Mobile Stabile' by Alexander Calder (1947) at $1.5m and paperwork by Ed Ruscha (1973) for $160,000. Friedman Benda, who featured a solo show of works by Ettore Sottsass, sold their most important piece on the first evening, a large ceramic Totem (1966) by the Italian designer for an undisclosed sum. Newcomers Mitchell-Innes & Nash sold two mixed-media collages, ‘The Den’ and ‘Red Lamps’, both from the Interiors series (1991-1996) by Roy Lichtenstein with an asking price in range of $600,000 each. Sladmore Gallery also had great success at the Private Preview with Rodin’s rare lifetime cast bronze Jean d'Aire (1887) going to a new client at £500,000.

The winner of best piece of fine art at the fair, Patrick Caulfield’s Concrete Villa, Bruun (1963) at Robin Katz Fine Art, also sold with an asking price of £450,000. Galerie Vedovi experienced massive success with their solo show of artworks by Italian artist Agostino Bonalumi. The dealers had almost sold out their entire booth by the end of the fair with eight paintings and a bronze sculpture going to various collectors, including the highlight painting Untitled (Nero) from 1967 at the price of €250,000. A ceramic by Henry Moore, Madonna and Child (1943), from New York private dealers Eykyn Maclean, who will open a second space in London in 2012, went to collector and dealer Danny Katz for around $300,000.

Particularly after the strong sales feedback from Sotheby’s and Christie’s auctions, several PAD dealers said that they noticed more sales over the weekend compared to past years. Roxana Afshar, gallery director of Hopkins Custot, reported the sale of a work by Jean Dubuffet, three paintings by French-Chinese artist Wou Zou-Ki and an ‘undisclosed masterpiece’ over the weekend. Louisa Guinness sold phenomenally well with ‘35 deals and no time to breathe’ but was incredibly happy with the results, saying some collectors bought five or six of her wearable sculpture jewellery pieces at a time.

The Child’s Chair Project II, curated by Francis Sultana, was a tremendous success with 7 of the unique 11 chairs, with prices from £1,500, sold by the close of the fair. Designers such as Zaha Hadid, Amanda Levete, Peter Marigold, Fredrikson Stallard, Max Lamb and Mattia Bonetti were invited to customize Vitra’s child-size edition of the iconic Panton chair, with proceeds of over £25,000 going to the NSPCC’s Rebuilding Childhoods Appeal.