The redoubtable Brian Haughton sent out an email blast today, the formal announcement of his new fair ‘Art Antiques London’, scheduled for 9 to 16 June. The venue will be a marquee in Kensington Gardens, opposite the Royal Albert Hall. 
Time will tell, for Haughton and the 60 dealers he promises in attendance, what this venue will bring. It has worked for decades for the Proms, so who knows?
Although an exhibitor list is not yet forthcoming, one presumes a good selection of English antiques. What is not apparent yet is the competition for those dealers amongst the newly reorganized Olympia fair, and what might still emerge as a son of Grosvenor House, its organization still being talked over amidst the former Grosvenor House grandees. For myself, visiting the fairs on my own and with clients, two running simultaneously was all I could hope to take in. More than that- it can be too much of a good thing. Moreover, not all London dealers participate in even the local fairs. Antiques shoppers, whether they be other dealers, collectors, or interior designers appear finite in number and those from abroad also wish to take in some of the non-exhibiting London and countryside galleries and salesrooms. Their time, patience, shoe leather, and money is finite, too. It remains to be seen what the new bevy of fairs will offer, besides good quality dealers, that will make the upcoming London antiques season stand out. Lacking an extravaganza that attracts a goodly number of new buyers, the fairs may find they’ve done not much more than dilute the fairs’ effect, with the same number of punters spread around more venues.