Page 334 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - London

332  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

Art and Antiques and collectables, racy cigarette
cases, vintage cocktail shakers
London’s art and antique shops are spread across the length and other bar accessories.
and breadth of the capital. While the more fashionable and Walk back up Bury Street
expensive dealers are mainly concentrated in a relatively past several interesting
small area bounded by Mayfair and St James’s, other shops galleries, including the Tryon
Gallery for traditional British
and galleries catering to more modest budgets are scattered sporting pictures and fine
over the rest of the city. Whether your taste is for old masters sculptures. Also duck into Ryder
or young modern artists, Boule or Bauhaus, you are bound Street to take in Chris Beetle’s
to find something of beauty in London that is within your gallery of works by illustrators
financial means. and caricaturists.
Mayfair among other extremely Knightsbridge
smart galleries. For jewellery
Cork Street is the centre of the and objets d’art visit David If you walk around to the
British contemporary art world Aaron Ancient Art and Grays back of Harrods (see p317),
and is home to a plethora of Antique Market (see p336); for you’ll find the beginning of
galleries, many of which have silver, go to S J Phillips; and for pretty Walton Street, which
launched the careers of major 18th-century British furniture is lined with art galleries,
British artists. and art, try Mallett Antiques. traditional interiors shops
The first gallery to open in Also on New Bond Street and boutiques. As you
the street was the Mayor are two of the big London would expect in this exclusive
Gallery, famous for Dada and auction houses, Bonhams area, prices are high. On
Surrealism. The biggest name and Sotheby’s (see p333). nearby Brompton Road,
to look out for, however, is North of Mayfair, on a quiet the Crane Kalman gallery
Waddington Custot Galleries. Marylebone Street, is the Lisson shows an enticing variety of
It regularly exhibits works by Gallery, which often features contemporary art. Motcomb
major twentieth-century artists, cutting-edge installations. Street houses some notable
such as Henri Matisse and Peter Thompson’s Gallery has galleries, including the
Blake. A stop here is a must – locations in Marylebone and fascinating Mathaf Gallery,
though pieces are under- the City, selling a diverse mix which features 19th-century
standably priced highly. of appealing if somewhat British and European paintings
Redfern Gallery shows mainstream current British art. of the Arab world.
mainstream modern art Even if you are not a buyer,
while Flowers Central, part these galleries are fascinating Pimlico Road
of a growing modern gallery places to visit, so don’t be
chain, has some unusual British afraid to walk in – you can The antique shops that
pieces. A couple of doors down, learn more from an hour spent line this road tend to cater
Browse and Darby Gallery sells here than you can from weeks predominantly for the pricey
19th- and 20th-century British of studying text books. requirements of the interior
and French paintings, as well decorator. This is where to
as contemporary works. come if you are searching for
Also look into Clifford Street, St James’s an Italian leather screen or a
where Maas Gallery excels in South of Piccadilly lies a maze silver-encrusted ram’s skull.
Victorian masters, and Sackville of 18th-century streets. This is Westenholz specializes in
Street for Henry Sotheran’s rare gentlemen’s club country (see 18th and 19th century
books and prints. On Albemarle Pall Mall p96) and the galleries decorative furniture and has
Street, the Albemarle Gallery mostly reflect the traditional some delightful pieces. While
specializes in contemporary nature of the area. At the he doesn’t deal in antiques,
prints and sculptures, show- centre is Duke Street, home the Queen’s nephew, furniture
casing the works of inter- of old master dealers Johnny designer Viscount Linley
national and British artists. van Haeften and Derek Johns. produces some beautiful pieces
Established and up-and-coming Nearby, on King Street, you that could pass as such, as well
talents are featured in the will find the main salerooms as contemporary designs. The
gallery’s frequent installations. of Christie’s, the well-known finely crafted accessories, such
Nearby, New Bond Street is auction house where Van as inlaid wooden boxes and
the centre of the fine antiques Goghs and Picassos change frames, make great gifts.
trade in London. If it’s Turner hands for millions. On the
watercolours or Louis XV corner of Bury Street, East and West London
furniture you’re after, this is the celebrating past masculine
place. A walk up from Piccadilly plea sures is the sophisticated London’s East End is a growth
takes you past Richard Green Pullman Gallery, which area for contemporary art.
and the Fine Art Society, specializes in automobile art Flowers East in Kingsland

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