A new campaign to salute London’s creative success and ensure it retains its leading edge in the arts was launched on Wednesday at Frieze art fair in Regent’s Park.
London Creates was set up to promote the capital’s visual art scene and has drawn support from Mayor Sadiq Khan, who stepped away briefly from the Labour conference to write in praise of our creative industries, and artists such as Gilbert and George.
The latter have designed two collectable front pages for Wednesday’s Evening Standard, which will both be on news stands across London.
The campaign, backed by the Evening Standard, is driven by Jane Boardman at communication consultants M&C Saatchi at the behest of City Hall.
She said London’s status as a “melting pot of people and creativity” made it a global destination for art.
Ms Boardman said: “Whether creativity is born here, or drawn here by the London magnetism, it’s a city that appreciates, showcases and gives opportunity to creative talent.
“London is, and has always been, a city of infinite opposites. The rebelling and friction is part of our creative success, as this rubbing of opposites takes our creativity to new exciting places. Like a magnet, London attracts, nurtures and creates the best talent which it then launches back out into the world.”
Culture is king in London with new galleries, museums and public art regularly being unveiled all across the city — and the statistics back that up.
The creative industries account for one in seven jobs in London, while the city regularly tops the polls as one of the best places in the world to study art.
Britain is also the second largest art market in the world — just behind the United States with almost a fifth (18 per cent) of global sales — and that market, powered by big-name auction houses, remained remarkably robust throughout the pandemic and the economic downturn, producing sales worth £9.74 billion last year.
And it will receive another boost this week with the opening today of Frieze, the world renowned art fair, which will generate millions of pounds not just in sales but in cash flowing into the hotels, cafes, bars and restaurants that all benefit from the influx of artists, gallerists and collectors from across the globe. About 90,000 people are expected to attend, with more than 160 galleries from 40 different countries taking part, while the wider benefits can be seen throughout the art world.
It is no coincidence that renowned gallerist Pilar Corrias has just opened her new Conduit Street gallery this week. That move, along with other examples including Christie’s auction house teaming up with contemporary artist Lakwena Maciver to transform its historic King Street façade, show how different parts of the art scene ecosystem work together.
Corrias, who opened her first gallery 15 years ago during 2008’s Frieze, said: “During Frieze, all the museums and galleries open their best shows all over the city, so the draw of the international art crowd makes it the perfect moment to celebrate a special opening.”
Anthea Peers, Christie’s EMEA president, said this week was a perfect way of “showcasing the breadth and diversity of the London art world”. She said: “We are also thrilled to collaborate with the Mayor’s office as part of London Creates, celebrating the impact and legacy of London as we mark the 20th anniversary of Frieze London.”
And when Frieze packs up the tent this Sunday, until next year, London’s art lovers will still have more than 200 museums and 800 art galleries to visit — most of which are free to enter. They can see work from David Hockney’s portrait of Harry Styles in a retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery to an exhibition dedicated to Japanese culture at the Young V&A in east London — and everything in between.
