Talks & Tours

London Art Fair 2023

The 2023 programme included discussions with artists, curators, art market experts, and key partners on current trends and topics emerging in the art world in 2023. A series of performances explored themes within the curated sections of the Fair, and a selection of guided tours were available throughout the Fair week to enhance the experience of viewing the artworks on display. 

Talks, tours and performances are always free to attend for London Art Fair ticket and invitation holders. 

2023 Fair Programme

2023 Programme Timetable by Day

Lookback at the talks, tours, performances, and workshops from the 2023 edition of the Fair by Day. 

Time
Title
Session Type
Description
Tutor Name
Time
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Title
What is the Role of Museums Today?
Session Type
  • Talk

Description
Art historian, author and independent curator Catherine McCormack will chair a conversation with Sotheby's Institute and TATE lecturer Ed Leeson that considers the role of museums today. The discussion will consider the social and political aspects, roles, and responsibilities of museums in relation to the art world ecosystem. Topics for debate will include deaccession and restitution, political bias or neutrality, representation of gender and exclusion of certain groups, the ethics of funding, accessibility and democratising collections, the digital onslaught, and considering the museum as place of leisure or reverence.
Tutor Name
Catherine McCormack
Time
12:00 PM - 01:15 PM
Title
Becoming a Virtual Museum
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Talk

Description
Ben Uri Gallery and Museum – the museum partner for London Art Fair 2023 – focuses on recording the Jewish and immigrant contribution to British art. Over the past five years this historic London institution has undergone a radical reinvention, remodelling itself as a ‘virtual museum’. This conversation explores this major project and what opportunities digitisation offers for small museums in challenging times.
Tutor Name
Ben Uri Gallery and Museum
Time
01:00 PM - 01:45 PM
Title
Encounters Tour with Curator Pryle Behrman
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Tour

Description
Encounters Tour with Pryle Behrman
Tutor Name
Pryle Behrman
Time
02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Title
Revisiting Modern British Art
Session Type
  • Talk

Description
Jo Baring, Director of The Ingram Collection, will chair a panel discussion alongside contributors from her new book (published by Lund Humphries), drawing out what we mean by ‘modern British art’, why we seek to define what ‘British’ art is, different ways of looking at this popular period, and consider the contemporary by thinking about the links between modern British and contemporary artists.
Tutor Name
Jo Baring
Time
03:00 PM - 03:45 PM
Title
Sotheby’s Modern British Tour
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Tour

Description
Sotheby’s Modern British Tour
Tutor Name
Sotheby’s
Time
03:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Title
Women Artists Shaping the Metaverse
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Talk

Description
While the UK’s major galleries have historically been dominated by male artists, the metaverse provides a level field for female creators to claim their equal space. Chaired by Brooke Theis of Harper’s Bazaar, this panel will consider the opportunity the virtual-art market presents women; the ways in which female artists are building communities in the metaverse; and the women traders who are making their mark. Panel: Holly Wood, Metaverse Curator, Founder HollyWoodLabs.io Mila Lolli, Immersive Artist and Founder of NFT UK
Tutor Name
Brooke Theis
Time
05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Title
The Future of NFT Investment
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Talk

Description
The Future of NFT Investment – has the dust really settled? Considering the comparatively risk-free appetite for collecting modern British art, this panel asks, why invest in NFTs? After the explosion and subsequent slump in the past 18 months, the sector is now reporting a come-back. The panel will discuss understanding NFTs in terms of aesthetic value, and cultural caché, as well as tips on how best to invest in them from a legal perspective. Moderator: Gareth Fletcher, Director of Programmes, Sotheby’s Institute
Tutor Name
Gareth Fletcher
Time
05:00 PM - 05:45 PM
Title
Platform Performance – Orlando
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Talk

Description
To celebrate the Platform exhibition ‘Reframing the Muse,’ curated by Ruth Millington, Orlando, the drag king persona of Holly James Johnston, will present a performance in the Platform exhibition space. As Orlando, Holly melds masculinities and femininities together through lip-sync and dance. Orlando emerged out of Holly’s research focus on historical and literary queer lives.
Tutor Name
Orlando (Holly James Johnston)
Time
06:00 PM - 06:45 PM
Title
Sotheby’s General Highlights Tour
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Tour

Description
Sotheby’s General Highlights Tour
Tutor Name
Sotheby’s
Time
07:00 PM - 07:45 PM
Title
Sotheby’s Prints and Editions Tour
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Tour

Description
Sotheby's Prints and Editions Tour
Tutor Name
Sotheby’s
Time
07:00 PM - 07:45 PM
Title
Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Tour
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Tour

Description
Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Tour
Tutor Name
Sotheby’s
Time
07:30 PM - 08:30 PM
Title
Barts: 900 Years in 900 Stories
Session Type
  • At the Fair
  • Talk

Description
Join a special evening at the London Art Fair 2023 to celebrate 900 years of St Barts Hospital, the UK’s oldest working hospital, with Will Palin, CEO Barts Heritage, and London-based cartographer, Adam Dant who has produced a commemorative fundraising artwork to be unveiled by TAG Fine Arts, that brings to life all manner of hospital tales in his trademark ‘Modern Hogarthian style’ from 1123 to the present day...
Tutor Name
Barts Heritage & TAG Fine Arts
London Art Fair 2022
London Art Fair 2022

Sotheby's Institute Guided Tours

45-minute themed tours led by art students from London Art Fair’s Official Tours Partner, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, provide an enlightening commentary on the art displayed at the Fair throughout the week. Tours focus on Modern British Art, Contemporary Art, Prints and Editions, Applied arts and General highlights, with a spotlight on Photography on Photography Focus Day.

Sign up to the mailing list below for updates on Sotheby’s Tours.

2022 Talks & Tours Programme

Themes that were covered in the 2022 Talks Programme curated by Hannah Payne included sustainability, art & technology, representation, money laundering, art and music, and a photography focused day.

Click the link below to lookback at the 2022 Talks.

Explore More

Each year, galleries at London Art Fair showcase the very best Modern and Contemporary Art, from established names to today’s leading artists. Discover the Galleries.

Encounters is a curated showcase of the freshest contemporary art from across the globe, featuring large-scale installations, solo shows and thematic group displays.

Platform is a guest-curated presentation that brings together well-known, overlooked and emerging artists into conversation around a single, unifying theme.

Tickets for London Art Fair 2023 are now on sale.

 

Join fellow collectors at the Business Design Center in from 18 – 22 January, 2023 to discover the very best artwork on the market today, experience sensational live performances and immersive installations, and engage in debate and discussion with art world icons and industry experts. 

Sign up to our mailing list

Sign up to the London Art Fair Mailing List today to be one of the first to hear when the inspirational new programme of curated exhibitions, talks, tours and workshops are announced this autumn.