Sculpture in the City

Sculpture in the City is an annual event taking place in the heart of the capital, featuring contemporary sculpture among some of London's most iconic architectural landmarks. This year there are 16 pieces of art which make up the outdoor sculpture park including works from Kevin Killen, Paul McCarthy and Damien Hirst.

Sculpture has been seen as one of the most arresting art forms often because of the dedicated labour involved, attention to detail and the scale. Whilst the definition of sculpture and the techniques that fall under its umbrella have changed over the years, the tradition of sculpture began in Ancient Greece with many of the great masterpieces of the classical period being produced there. From there sculpture has remained a predominant discipline in most western cultures and time periods, from gothic and religious sculpture in the middle ages through to Michelangelo's David in the Renaissance, along with being a celebrated form of art in many other parts of the world such as Africa and Asia. 

The reasons using sculpture varies widely, with some cultures like the Romans using the media because it is a durable and long lasting form of art, and others such as tribes in Africa using it because it can be viewed as a life like symbol in religious and ritual practice. In the present day, sculpture is still alive and well, with many artist still working in what could be considered a traditional manner and others such as Henry Moore and Tracey Emin bringing a modern vision to the media.

As always, you can always count on Alfies to have something interesting to see. Carry on reading for a few of our favourite sculptural items found around the building...

A Congo carving from Africa. Offered by Diplomat Treasures International.

A 1960s bronze boulder sculpture on slated base, signed Gerster. Offered by Travers Antiques.

A 1970s piece of art glass in the style of Picasso. Offered by Diplomat Treasures International.

A contemporary sculptor's impression of Michelangelo's David made from resin and fibreglass. Offered by i Fine & Contemporary Art.

A 1950s bronze torse of a male. Offered by Good Time Antiques

A Chinese Unicorn carved from celadon jade. Offered by Diplomat Treasures International.

The changing face of Church Street

Church Street isn't just home to Alfies but is also home to a whole host of interesting shops and venues. The street has come a long way since Alfies Antique Market opened in 1976, evolving from a mostly derelict area to a thriving hub within the community and a must visit location for anyone with an interest in art, antiques, interiors and design.

Excitingly, a one day art, antiques and design fair is planned for Sunday 24 September 2017 which will see all the shops on Church Street open their doors and 50 well renowned art, vintage and design dealers stall out on the street, alongside street food and entertainment. Keep your eye on our event page for more information!

Here is our pick of some of Church Street's must visits, or see them all here:

Cutler and Gross Vintage

6 Church Street

Fairly new to the street is British eyewear brand Cutler and Gross, who are well known for their combination of Italian craftsmanship and creative design. Founded in 1969 the company has a long history, and the store on Church Street aims to take a fresh look at vintage.

Matt Mitchell 

24 Church Street

Formerly based in the Second Floor Gallery at Alfies, Matt Mitchell offers original twentieth century furniture, lighting and decoratives with an emphasis on strong European design. 

Daniel Raphael 

26 Church Street

Founded in 2017, Daniel Raphael is a gallery dedicated to contemporary art. The space aims to be a platform to stimulate interaction between both well established artists and emerging ones.

 

Jessica Ogden: Still

31-33 Church Street

Jessica Ogden: Still is a pop-up exhibition based at 31-33 Church Street until 23 June 2017. It features a selection of objects from her archive of designs and contextual resource collections - the display aims to reflect on her practice and influences to present a new understanding of her work.

Daniel Raphael: New Gallery Opens on Church Street

The Daniel Raphael Art Gallery is a new addition to the Church Street family at No. 26 across the road from Alfies. The gallery opened last week, Friday 10 March, with their launch exhibition featuring works from six contemporary artists.

Daniel is the youngest trader on Church Street, having recently graduated from the University of Bristol with a view to pursuing a dream in the art world. One of the main aims of the gallery space, is to provide a platform for interactive, thought provoking and original exhibitions. The space will display both the works of well-established  and emerging artists, helping new artists establish themselves in the art world.

The location at number 26 is also comprised of several studio spaces, which are available to rent on a monthly basis - the gallery boasts WiFi and an outdoor garden/patio area, as well as all the usual amenities such as kitchen and bathroom. This combination of studio and gallery space provides artists with the unique opportunity to work and exhibit in the same environment. 

Below are some examples of work you will find on display in the exhibition, all from up and coming artists.

 The Girls, by Audrey Dangoor.

Black Water Reservoir, 2017. By Victoria Young Jamieson.

Hampstead Pond Early Spring. By Simon Hatchard Parr. 50 x 60 inches.

Blackwater Reservoir, by Madeleine Gardiner. 100 x 100cm.

Daniel Raphael Art Gallery
26 Church Street, London, NW8 8EP
www.danielraphael.co.uk

Facebook/Instagram: @danielraphaelart

Alfies & Church Street: Matt Mitchell

Matt Mitchell, specialists in 20th century design & interiors, have recently relocated to 24 Church Street. Although we were sad to see them leave, we were content with the knowledge that they would reside just across the road from Alfies, strengthening Church Street as the design destination for interior decorators, designers and vintage devotees. In fact, many of the independent dealers who line the street, started out at Alfies.

Matt Mitchell at No.24 Church Street - "Church Street has great atmosphere and some of the most interesting design in London, and we feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to open here."

Previously occupying the Second Floor Gallery, Matt Mitchell will continue to explore twentieth century design - bringing together modernism, Art Deco and architect-led industrial pieces.  Don't forget that as well as the shop, their full range will be available on their website and clients can view on request.

Be sure to visit the new shop which has been filled with glorious design pieces such as the items pictured below...

Italian Twin or Triple Bay Shelving Unit

Pair of Mid-Century Armchairs

"Como" Tea & Coffee Set by Sabattini for Christoffle

1960s Austrian Glass Wall Lights

A view of Matt Mitchell's shop, No.24 Church Street 

Alfies is located directly opposite the shop 

MattMitchell-London.com | 24 Church Street, London, NW8 8EP | +44 7932 678 410 | matt@mattmitchell-london.com

#AlfiesTurns40: Antiques Young Guns Church Street Pop-Up

If you haven't already heard - we are celebrating our 40th anniversary this month in conjunction with the London Design Festival! We are very excited about the series of events we have lined up, kicking off on the 20th and running until 24th September. Not only will we have a residency from Peter Layton's London Glassblowing, and talks from antiques expert Mark Hill and established vintage fashion dealer Leslie Verrinder of Tin Tin Collectables, not to mention an upholstery demonstration from Thirteen Upholstery Workshop, we are also pleased to welcome the Antiques Young Guns collective, who will be taking over the magnificent space at 35-37 Church Street with their pop-up shop.

With several of the shops on Church Street having started from stalls within Alfies, the Alfies and Church Street area has a lot to offer to antique and design lovers and should be considered as a must visit destination!

Expect to find a myriad of covetable objects from the following AYG dealers:

• Lily Johnston of Bombe Antiques - www.bombeinteriors.co.uk

• Matthew Wise of Cubbit Antiques - www.cubbitantiques.com

• Edd Thomas of Eddintheclouds Antiques - www.eddintheclouds.com

• Jason Clarke of Jason Clarke Antiques - www.jasonclarkeantiques.co.uk

• Stephanie Connell of Stepannie Connell Art & Antiques  - www.stephanieconnell.com

• Eddy Toshi Ishikawa Wertheim of The Japanese Gallery - www.japanese-gallery.com

• Jon Irvine of Jon Irvine Antiques - www.antiquesyoungguns.co.uk/dealers/jon-irvine-antiques.html

To give you a little taster of what you might find in the Antiques Young Guns pop-up shop, here's some of our favourite objects from each dealer:

19th century marginal mirror from Bombe Interiors

David Klein (1918-2005): An original TWA London travel poster, 1960s, from Stephanie Connell

Pair of Stilnovo style pendant lights - Cubitt Antiques

Photo album produced c1900 with wooden covers coated with black lacquer, from The Japanese Gallery

Thomas Webb cut glass decanter set, from Jon Irvine Antiques

Thonet Bentwood rocking chair No.4, from Edd in the Clouds

Victorian aesthetic movement duet piano stool, from Jason Clarke Antiques

Alfies Celebrate 40 Years!

This year marks Alfies Antique Market’s 40th year in business... and we're celebrating!

When Bennie Gray bought the building, that was previously home to Jordan’s Department Store, in 1976, he had a clear vision of creating an unpretentious indoor antiques market. He quickly launched Alfies – named after his jazz musician father – and the centre went from strength to strength. Originally occupying just one floor of the building, Alfies Antique Centre today covers 35,000 square feet over four floors, complete with over 70 dealers and a charming roof-top café and terrace. Over the years, Alfies’ dealers have spread out on to the surrounding Church Street, opening shops and turning this corner of Marylebone into a destination for antiques, decorative items and high quality design.

Alfies in the 1970s

Alfies on opening day, 1976

To celebrate this impressive anniversary, Alfies and the Church Street antiques area are hosting a week of pop-up shops and activities in collaboration with this year’s London Design Festival, between 20 and 24 September 2016.

Alfies’ main attraction will be an occupancy from London Glassblowing, which was established by Peter Layton in 1976 and also shares its 40th anniversary with Alfies. Ahead of its time, London Glassblowing was among the first hot-glass studios in Europe and is now known as having a particular flair for the use of colour, form and texture.

Peter Layton in his glass blowing studio, 1979

Black Paradiso by Peter Layton

Peter Layton in his glass blowing studio

Alongside this, Church Street will be hosting an array of antique, art and design focused pop-up shops, with more details to be confirmed.

In-store, Alfies will also be holding talks and demonstrations from experts within and outside of the centre; Alfies is particularly proud to be welcoming Mark Hill for a talk on 20th century glass; co-founder of the Antiques Young Guns, Mark has also presented on both the BBC Antiques Roadshow and Collectaholics programmes.

Mark Hill

Find out more about our celebrations in September here

The London Design Festival: Alfies and the Church Street Design Trail

We're excited that Alfies and the Church Street Design Trail will launch on Thursday 24 September, during the London Design Festival this year. This special day will consist of talks, exhibitions, demonstrations and workshops.

We have collaborated with the Church Street furniture shops to put Marylebone on the map, many of which stock covetable design pieces. A tour of these shops will be led by Leon Young of Young & Son, an established antiques furniture dealer and LAPADA member. Follow Leon as he gives a fascinating insight into the range of design pieces on the street and how many of these dealers launched their businesses.

Alfies dealers Emilia & Luis of Thirteen Upholstery Workshop will hold an upholstery demonstration; watch in awe as they work their magic touch on tired furniture, giving it a new lease of life. Leslie of Tin Tin Collectables will be hosting a talk about the influence of politics on fashion design through the ages, and Matt Mitchell London will have on display two iconic pieces by British furniture designer Robin Day, to coincide with his centenary this year.

1950s single Italian armchair reupholstered in yellow velvet, offered by Thirteen Interiors

1950s leather desk lamp by Jacques Adnet, offered by Matt Mitchell London

1950s style mobile by Manuel Marin, offered by Angry-Agent

Sam Gullam of Lacock Gullam will be discussing how he conceived the design for Church Street’s new market sign posts, which draws some inspiration from the modernist nature of pieces on offer at Alfies and Church Street.

Lacock Gullam Church Street sign post

Not only that we will also have complimentary bubbly on offer, plus tasty treats will be available at the Roof Top Kitchen, as usual. Do not miss out!

The London Design Festival runs from 19 – 27 September and is one of the world’s most important annual design events encompassing a wide range of design disciplines.

Church Street Christmas Lights Switch On

This year the Church Street Christmas lights were switched on by Alfies owner Bennie Gray and his children. Mr Gray spoke of the history of Church Street and its uniqueness as a shopping street for high class antiques as well as street stalls offering a variety of products. He highlighted the importance to keep the Christmas spirit up in these times and a lucky winner in the raffle assisted in turning on the lights. Among the mincepies and mulled wine many gathered to listen to music and carols and visit Santa in his grotto. The event highlighted the community spirit in the area and everyone had a lot of fun!