Two main artwork festivals have been cancelled – with Brexit partly responsible

Two of London’s main summer time artwork gala’s have been cancelled this yr, with organisers saying Brexit is partly responsible.

The cancellations of Masterpiece and Olympia have raised issues in regards to the menace Brexit poses to the UK’s standing as a significant international artwork market.

Currently, Britain’s market is second solely to the United States by quantity of gross sales. But since 2020, rising quantities of pink tape and the introduction of an import VAT price of 5%, have made it significantly more durable to maneuver artwork between the UK and Europe.

This is having a noticeable impact. Organisers of Masterpiece, one of many gala’s cancelled this summer time, informed Sky News that the variety of EU-based galleries making use of to take part this yr had dropped by 86% in comparison with 2018.

Gander & White is likely one of the world’s main tremendous artwork transport companies. Operations director Victor Khureya mentioned: “Works of artwork from the EU to the UK now require customs clearances and cost of VAT.

“Works of art from the UK to the EU require payment of VAT in the destination country. There’s increased complex customs procedures that we now have to comply with. The business has definitely been affected.”

According to survey knowledge from the latest Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2023, UK sellers have been the least optimistic globally, with many citing “concern about the difficult economic conditions that might lie ahead”.

But London nonetheless has a number of benefits as a worldwide centre for the artwork market: world-class galleries, storied public sale homes, prestigious artwork faculties and universities, to call however a number of.

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Vicki Wonfor, managing director of main London public sale home Roseberys, mentioned: “We can’t forget over the last three years we’ve also had the global pandemic, and obviously, more recently the war in Ukraine and all of these things have actually had financial impacts on the European market and also the UK art market.

“So it is essential to think about all of it as a complete, and we won’t pigeonhole it into being immediately associated to Brexit. There’s nonetheless a starvation and urge for food inside the London artwork market. We’re nonetheless a worldwide artwork market capital right here in London.”

In the aftermath of Brexit and the pandemic, the worth of artwork and antiques imports into the UK collapsed by almost half.

But final yr, the numbers rebounded once more by 65%, and though they’re nonetheless under 2019 ranges, it suggests the drop could have been extra short-term than initially feared. Sales too, rose modestly final yr.

But a placing comparability from the Art Basel & UBS Report gives meals for thought. Between 2013 and 2022, the worth of the UK artwork market fell by 7%. Over the identical interval, the US market, a significant competitor, rose by 46%.