Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, COLLECT, the international art fair for contemporary objects, will bring together the world's finest galleries representing exceptional work of museum-quality from their portfolio of artists.  Thirty two galleries and eleven Project Space artists will come together in the Saatchi Gallery for this leading international art fair.

 

COLLECT brings together an international selection of galleries, this year ranging from blås&knåda from Sweden and Adrian Sassoon from the UK, to Hanart TZ Gallery from China and Galerie Rosemarie Jäger from Germany. New galleries to COLLECT 2013 include Belgium's Design Flanders, Bicha Gallery from the UK and two Korean galleries, Korean Craft and Design and Gallery LVS.  A 2013 highlight will be a room dedicated to contemporary glassware, bringing together work from three major glass galleries, the National Glass Centre, London Glassblowing and Plateaux Gallery.

 

On the second floor of the Saatchi Gallery, the Project Space returns for the third year in order to present concept-led work by individual artists. Eleven artists working across a range of disciplines - from jewellery to basketry to tailoring - and many using new digital technologies, will all present new work made specifically for the Project Space. 

 

COLLECT was launched by the Crafts Council in London in 2004 and has since established itself as the leading international art fair for museum-quality contemporary craft.  In the last 10 years, national institutions including the British Museum, National Museum Wales and the V&A have made significant acquisitions at COLLECT and public collections in Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Exeter, Gateshead, Leeds, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford and Plymouth have all purchased work for their permanent collections, many through the Art Fund Collect scheme.  COLLECT has also given private collectors the opportunity to buy new work from leading artists from around the world.

 

In 2013, high-profile artists such as Gerda Flöckinger, Ernst Gamperl, Colin Reid, Sueharu Fukami and Ted Noten will show alongside new talent such as Max Warren and Mi-Ah Rödiger. Adrian Sassoon will present a major focus on furniture-maker Joseph Walsh; Cultural Connections will present a retrospective of the influential Danish ceramicist Inger Rokkjaer and Yufuku gallery will present 20 artists to mark their 20th anniversary.

 

COLLECT 2013 also welcomes the return of Art Fund Collect for a sixth year.  This joint scheme from the Crafts Council and the Art Fund, the national fundraising charity for the arts, offers UK curators the chance to buy contemporary craft for their museums and galleries. Taking place on 9 May 2013, the preview day of COLLECT, shortlisted curators will have one hour to pick one object and then present their selection to a judging panel. To date, the Art Fund Collect has provided over £375,000 of new work for public collections across the UK.