Frieze Masters 2024, 9-13 October, Stand B2
"With the appointment of James Richards, Charles Ede will expand its offerings to include fine art, complementing the gallery's existing collection of ancient works of art. This new initiative will debut at Frieze Masters this year, featuring an innovative approach and a curated display that blends both ancient and modern pieces."
Charles Ede has been known for more than half a century as a world leading dealership, focused primarily on Ancient Art. The gallery was originally established by Charles Ede as Folio Fine Art, a multifaceted gallery hosting various exhibitions across different fields (including Fine Art) and reflecting Ede’s interests as a co-founder of the Folio Society. Over the years, the gallery has striven to source and sell works of art within the field of Ancient Art that possess a high aesthetic sensibility, often appealing to modern spaces and collectors. This pursuit, alongside Ede’s original vision, has led in recent years to several collaborations with contemporary art galleries and artists, both at art fairs and through exhibitions held at the gallery. However, there has been a desire to bring this expertise in-house and return to the original values of the gallery, expanding the offering to compliment the gallery’s emphasis on ancient works of art.
James Richards has been appointed to assist the existing Directors Martin Clist and Charis Tyndall in realising this vision. The focus will now widen to include, alongside ancient sculpture, British and European paintings, works on paper, and photography from the 19th and early 20th centuries. With ten years of experience in these fields, James formerly served as the Gallery Manager and Head of Research at the Daniel Katz Gallery, gaining extensive experience in dealing with 19th and early 20th-century paintings and works on paper as well as sculpture. Prior to this role, James spent several years at Christie’s Auction House as a picture specialist, focusing on works on paper, and later served as head of British and Continental Pictures at Christie’s South Kensington.
James is assisted in this new endeavour by existing fellow director Martin Clist, whose own background includes work in the field of modern and contemporary fine art. Martin previously having held senior positions at the Whitechapel Gallery under Nicholas Serota, as well as at Waddington Galleries, in Cork Street, and later with Karsten Schubert, before moving into the ancient art world.
The gallery’s new direction is set to coincide with Frieze Masters 2024, the ideal event for the launch, where a mixed booth of works both ancient and modern, will be showcased. This display will feature ancient art, including a pair of remarkable Romano-British mosaics, discovered in the 19th century and never before offered on the market. Shown alongside these will be select artworks, spanning the Romantic to Modern periods, including works by artists such as Genevieve Asse, Clara Klinghoffer, Suzanne Valadon, Robyn Denny, Man Ray, and Walter Sauer, amongst others.
The intention is to draw broadly on James’ expertise, showcasing figurative and abstract art from Europe and Britain spanning the long 19th and early 20th centuries. In doing so, we aim to create a compelling dialogue with the ancient sculptures that complements them, and which gives attendees at Frieze Masters a novel experience - more in keeping with their own homes, and more reflective of true collecting today.
