LONDON.-London Art Fair – the UK’s largest and most established Modern British and Contemporary art fair – returns to the Business Design Centre, Islington in January for its 19th edition. The Fair is the first major event of the British art calendar, and its emphasis on quality and accessibility has built it a reputation as being uniquely approachable for established collectors and casual visitors alike.

One hundred of the UK’s leading galleries have been rigorously selected for the Fair in 2007, presenting a broad range of work spanning early 20th century British Art to recent contemporary practice.

Many living artists are represented from Grayson Perry, Keith Coventry and Candida Höfer to Bridget Riley, Peter Blake and Howard Hodgkin. The Fair’s contemporary work is exhibited alongside influential figures of Modern British art such as Barbara Hepworth, John Piper, Peter Lanyon and William Scott. Galleries represented include Alan Cristea, Flowers East, Jonathan Clark and Richard Green with a number of galleries new to the Fair in 2007, including Osborne Samuel, Sims Read and Ben Brown Fine Arts.

Museum quality pieces are sold for up to £500,000 at the Fair, while new collectors can find work to invest in from as little as £50. The Fair strongly supports the print market, with prominent new editions being launched by exhibitors each year.

In 2007 London Art Fair launches Photo50, a permanent photographic section at the Fair. Organised and selected by the Curating Programme at Goldsmiths, University of London, this exhibition of fifty works – all for sale – draws together the diverse ways that artists are working with the photographic image within contemporary art. Interrogating the ways that photography communicates, represents and questions the image, Photo 50 presents the possibilities and dialogues central to contemporary artistic practice.

Art Projects returns for its third year in 2007 with 20 projects from selected galleries created exclusively for the Fair. Art Projects gives dealers the freedom to experiment, show less commercial work and demonstrate their gallery’s personality. Projects include the exploration of particular aesthetic themes, profiles of emerging artists in solo shows and curated group presentations. Art Projects has international scope, reflected in a programme of video art examining ecological and political issues in recent South American art.

Also new for 2007, is a Collectors Lounge, offering a stylish space for VIP visitors to relax away from the crowds. As London continues to retain its leading position in the global art market, the Fair confidently expects to build on its record-breaking year in 2006 where visitor numbers of 21,500 were recorded – a rise of 11% on 2005. Sales are also showing a significant increase year on year, with high expectations for 2007.