The inkjet on canvas print, measuring 5ft 6in x 4ft 5in (1.7 x 1.35m), is edition four of five created by Blake, best known for his work on the album cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was offered by Tanya Baxter Contemporary for £19,800 and sold last Friday after an image of the fair, including the picture, appeared in The Times.
"A wonderful legendary artist, whose pop artist status is revered worldwide, his iconic painting of Marilyn Monroe in diamond dust tells that diamonds are forever,” Baxter said of Blake. “It sold to a new London client, who saw it at the fair on Thursday and made a decision having seen it in The Times - serendipity."
The event, which ran from January 10-13, was the first from The Antiques Dealers Fair Limited this year and hosted nearly 40 dealers.
Other key sales included Mary Fedden’s Love to Lulu, a portrait of her cat, which dealer Kaye Michie offered for £6800 and sold to a new client. Richard Price sold three carriage clocks during the opening night of the event, while Matthew Foster kicked off the fair selling a rare 1920s French Art Deco egg shell lacquer box along with some 1930s fashion jewellery.
Art Deco dealer Jeroen Markies started the fair selling six pieces of furniture, all priced between £3000-5000, and two pieces of Lalique.
“1940s Bakelite telephones are selling like hot cakes,” he said.
“We missed the fair last year and we were very impressed with the added footfall and quality of visitors since we last took part,” said Gavin Morgan of Morgan Strickland Decorative Arts. The business reported meeting a number of clients and kicking off the event with a “decent amount” of sales.
