Headline stories
Condo London 2026 launches with 50 galleries across 23 venues
Condo London returns as a city-wide fine art collaboration, with London galleries hosting international partners to showcase blue-chip contemporary and emerging fine art works, offering collectors experimental access without fair overheads. [web:17]
The programme spans Soho to South London, emphasising shared programming in painting, sculpture and mixed media by established and rising names. [web:17]
Fine art exhibitions
New blue-chip and modern British shows open this week
Annely Juda Fine Art presents a major David Hockney exhibition across two floors, featuring bright, joyous works that reaffirm his status in the modern British canon for discerning collectors. [web:27][web:29]
Thaddaeus Ropac at Ely House opens Umi Ishihara: Nocturnal Melody (13 Jan – 21 Mar), a solo of paintings exploring perception through materials and frameworks, alongside five new openings including Max Boyla's sculptural paintings at Palmer Gallery. [web:17][web:23]
National Gallery launches Stories of Art 1500–1600 (from 7 Jan), focusing on Renaissance masters like Leonardo and Dürer, providing fine art context for Old Masters collectors. [web:7]
Last chance for key 2025 fine art shows
Exhibitions closing this month include Gilbert & George at a major venue and Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum at South London Gallery (to 11 Jan), critical viewings for blue-chip sculpture and multimedia collectors before market re-entry. [web:11]
Wayne Thiebaud paintings and Hilary Lloyd installations also end soon, highlighting opportunities in American modernism and contemporary fine art. [web:11]
Auctions & antiques
Lots Road Auctions: Fine Interiors sale wraps early January
Lots Road's Fine Interiors sale (4-5 Jan) featured fine paintings, prints, antique furniture and objet d'art, reflecting steady demand for mixed lots blending modern fine art with period antiques. [web:26]
Upcoming January London auctions span fine art, antiques and jewellery, with blue-chip consignments expected to test post-holiday resilience. [web:28]
London Art Fair preps for Jan 21-25
London Art Fair (21-25 Jan at Business Design Centre) previews modern and contemporary fine art from global galleries, a key mid-month touchpoint for collectors scouting blue-chip and emerging positions. [web:24]
Market & collectors
Blue-chip prints poised for structured sales leadership
2026 predictions forecast auction houses opening headline sales with blue-chip print collections by Hockney, Warhol and others, leveraging editions for conviction amid selective mid-market demand. [web:12]
Charity-led blue-chip sales could define top results, aligning philanthropic intent with market fundamentals for HNW collectors. [web:12]
K-shaped recovery favours super-rich in fine art
In a K-shaped economy, fine art recovery hinges on ultra-high-net-worth buyers driving trophy modern and contemporary segments, with UK galleries advised to prioritise differentiated blue-chip positioning. [web:15]
