October is the busiest month

So much goes on in October in the contemporary art scene in London it is hard to know where to begin. I will try to break it down into events as much as I can. Hopefully I can write articles about some or all of these events later.

Fairs

There are numerous art fairs in central london in October, including the biggie, Frieze. They include

ART London - 6-10 October 2006 -I like this fair. It is not too big to get round and there is some really interesting stuff there.

Zoo Art Fair 13-15 October 2006 - cutting edge contemporary art from new and emerging artists make this fair an absolute must visit.

Frieze - 12-15 October 2006 - the biggest and the best. Be prepared for long queues, high ticket prices and scrums of people but despite all that this fair cannot be missed. Now... can anyone get me a free ticket?

Scope Art fair - 12-15 October. Another fair that should not be missed. Getting better and better each year.

Affordable art fair - 20-23 October. No art over £3,000 in this unpretentious but enjoyable (and hugely busy) fair in Battersea Park.


Auctions

All the major auction houses have their big contemporary art auctions in October. I would highly recommend attending the viewings which can be better than attending some of the fairs in terms of keeping up to date with the current contemporary art climate.

A couple of small other auctions. Look out for the Whitechapel auction on 13 October 2006 at Sothebys. This auction is of works by internationally renowned artists all in aid of the Whitechapel gallery.

For those with a more modest budget there is an interesting little ebay charity auction containing some well known artists and illustrators run by Pitney Bowes called pushing the envelope. Click here to visit the site. The online auction starts on 11 October 2006

Current shows

Simply far too many to name as all the galleries put out their strongest offerings for the time when the big spenders come to london for the auction and fair season. One I should mention, as I went there the other day, is the Ian Davenport exhibition at the Alan Cristea Gallery in Cork Street (pictured). For admirers of the artist's work this is a visually stunning show. Highly recommended.

So thats it for the moment. What a busy time for all of us. Enjoy!