Patrons gathered for a Monday morning coffee and private tour of the Impressionist & Modern Art Sale at Sotheby’s.

Hosted by our trustee and Sotheby’s Senior Director, Alina Davey, we saw the incredible works of artists such as Picasso, Kandinsky, Matisse and Moore. Amongst well-known highlights of the sale, we were also introduced to exciting newcomers on the contemporary art market including Julie Curtiss.

On a sunny Monday in London, Patrons joined us for a walking tour with Russell Nash. In today’s walking tour we learned all about the fascinating history of Westminster at War.

The dark days of World War II changed the lives of Londoners. As bombs fell, citizens took to underground shelters for cover. Children were evacuated to the countryside and women worked in factories and transport for the first time. In the West End the restaurants, theatres and nightclubs struggled to stay open during The Blitz and the grandest hotels became the most upmarket camps the world has ever seen.

Thank you Russell Nash for transporting us back in time to the 1940’s and teaching us how Mayfair changed throughout the war.

Patrons joined us for a morning of art at Sotheby’s, enjoying a private tour of the Sotheby’s Russian Works of Art, Fabergé & Icons sale - hosted by ArtSocial Trustee, Alina Davey.

The sale brings together an unprecedented, important group of imperial presentation pieces along with an impressive selection of icons by the leading craftsmen of the genre, including a Fabergé silver-gilt and shaded cloisonné enamel icon of St Nina (Nino) of Georgia.

Our first in-person event after multiple lockdowns, patrons’ enjoyed a Saturday morning stroll around Piccadilly learning it’s fascinating history. Blue Badge holding tour guide, Russell Nash, captivated our imagination with rich historical sights and stories.

Among many other fun snippets of history, we learned that there are no formal flower beds in St James Park thanks to King Charles II’s wife… A notorious ladies man, the King’s wife asked him to pick a flower and present it to a beautiful woman. Instead of handing the flower to his wife, the king handed it to a passing beauty and so his wife ordered that all the flowers be torn from the ground to ensure this never happened again.

We enjoyed an insightful talk about the art of photography with one of Europe’s best experts, Director of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP), and ArtSocial Ambassador – Simon Baker.

Our Patrons were the first to see the preview of Christie’s Contemporary Art Sale October 2020, including the world’s first Mixed Reality performance artwork to be presented at auction– The Life by Marina Abramović.

We were happy to invite our Patrons to a visit to the studios of the acclaimed Chilean sculptor working with ceramics, Fernando Casasempere, and the renowned English landscape painter Hannah Brown.

Together with our Patrons we walked around Mayfair and went on a journey through its rich history, scandalous stories and surprising backstreets.

We were delighted to invite our Patrons to join us on an on-foot introduction to Shoreditch and Spitalfields - the vibrant areas associated with some of the most incredible urban art.

This ‘ArtSocial Growth’ coaching session with Michelle Zelli revolved around self-sabotaging behaviours and practical ways to overcome procrastination, perfectionism and be positive again.

Our most recent personal development session with Michelle Zelli revolved around the secrets of self-esteem, the differences between self-worth and self-confidence and the ways to build lasting self-esteem.

In this second ‘ArtSocial Growth’ coaching session with Michelle Zelli, we took a deeper look at how our brain works and how to use our subconscious mind to attract what we want.⠀

An online conversation about the current state and the future of the art world and museum, with Alina Davey - Senior Director at Sotheby’s, Olga Re Rebaudengo - Director of ARTUNER and art collector, and Alina Hannah - Head of Russia & Middle East at White Cube.

In response to coronavirus crisis, ArtSocial has launched a new series of coaching sessions with renowned life and business coach Michelle Zelli. In this first session, we discussed how to use the uncertain times as an advantage.

Together with our Patrons we visited Bobby Arora’s contemporary art collection at his London residence.

We were happy to invite our members to join us on an exciting opportunity to see the backstage of the Royal Opera House.

We were delighted to invite our Patrons to join us on a tour of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Sale.

We kicked off ArtSocial Winter 2020 season with an amazing morning of behind the scenes of the famous auction house.

We enjoyed a fun and curious journey through the story of Soho’s diverse culture, community and creative innovation explored at ‘Shot in Soho’ exhibition. 

We were glad to invite our dear members and friends to celebrate with us the end of the year at our third annual Christmas Gala. The evening was a beautiful occasion to thank them for their support and to raise funds for our charity projects in 2020.

We were glad to spend a morning with the curator of the RA major exhibition of Antony Gormley that explores the artist’s career spanning 45 years. After the viewing, we headed to White Cube Mason’s Yard to view their latest exhibition.

We were happy to invite our members to an exclusive visit to the home of Persian art collector and patron Fatima Maleki, who has a world-famous collection of Old Masters and contemporary art. This afternoon was an exciting opportunity to see one of the most famous London art homes and discuss her approach to collecting and her global support of contemporary art.

We were happy to invite our members to explore Frieze Masters, long London’s favourite art fair, together with Simon Baker, Director of Maison Européenne de la Photographie and ArtSocial Ambassador. Simon took us on a carefully selected tour through the rarest and most precious objects the fair has to offer, from illuminated manuscripts to vintage photographs and masterpieces of modern painting.

We kicked off Frieze London Week with an exclusive visit to Mary McCartney’s studio, followed by a breakfast with the artist. This morning was an exciting opportunity to meet the fine-art photographer and Beatles’ legend Sir Paul McCartney daughter, see her celebrated portfolio of portrait and candid reportage photography and hear about her initiatives supporting her mother’s vegetarian legacy.

We were happy to invite our members to a bespoke visit to the V&A Archive of Art and Design at Blythe House that is the home for over 350 separate archive groups. Together with the fashion curators, we explored ‘The Golden Age of Couture’ and had a close look at the historic pieces by Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy and other couturiers of the period. It was an exciting morning for any fashion lover.

We finished 2018/19 season with a Patrons’ breakfast at the newly opened Vintry & Mercer Hotel and a viewing of the first ever retrospective of Natalia Goncharova at Tate Modern. Goncharova is arguably the most famous Russian female artist and one of the leading artist of Russian avant-garde. We met the curator of the exhibition Natalia Sidlina who gave us an introduction to the show and to the diverse artistic practices of this avant-garde female artist of the 20th century.

In May we enjoyed a visit to one of London's most eccentric artist studios - Hassan Hajjaj's studio in East London. Born and raised in Larache, Hajjaj moved to the UK aged twelve, but has spent much of his life travelling between the two countries and cultures. In Shoreditch, the artist is something of a local legend - being in his studio is like being inside his artwork. With fabrics, packaging and souvenirs from his native Morocco filling the space, we could see where the inspiration for his artworks come from.

In April, we enjoyed an exclusive visit to the home of Italian art collector and patron Valeria Napoleone. Valeria has been a collector for 18 years, establishing a strong collection that focuses on female contemporary artists working internationally. Valeria has provided pivotal support to the careers of many of todays most critically acclaimed artists and museums. This evening was an exciting opportunity to meet Valeria at her home, view her collection and hear about her journey in art and philanthropy.

On St Valentine’s morning our patrons gathered at the V&A Museum boardroom for a breakfast and an update on the progress of the programme for children with special needs and disabilities supported by ArtSocial Foundation. We will then met the curator of ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’ exhibition Oriole Cullen and stayed to view the exhibition.

Our Patrons enjoyed a morning in the company of an extraordinary woman and artist Mari Katayama and Simon Baker, Director of Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris and our Ambassador. Katayama was born with various developmental challenges, had both legs amputated at age nine and has since lived with prosthetics. Using her body as a living sculpture, Katayama photographs herself among intricately embroidered objects, hand-sewn mannequins and her prosthetic legs. We viewed her exhibition at White Rainbow Gallery and had a conversation with Mari about the way that art transformed her life.