Collect celebrates and brings together international galleries and dealers from across the globe to sell work made in the last five years by the world’s leading contemporary craft artists.
Since 2004 the Fair has taken place at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Saatchi Gallery and in 2020 Collect moved to its beautiful new home of Somerset House in London.
At a time when the pandemic is preventing us from coming together at Somerset House, the Crafts Council is delighted to announce that for its 2021 edition, the Fair will not be postponed or cancelled and is adapting a new format for the Fair to respond to the current landscape.
A new format for Collect 2021
Collect 2021 will provide an impactful blend of rich and engaging online presentations, full online access to the galleries and their artists with some additional live gallery activity with the plan to return to Somerset House in 2022.
Collect will remain a global moment for craft. The 17th edition will connect in a new way those with a passion for contemporary craft to knowledgeable and experienced galleries and the remarkable artists they represent.
Working with the leading global online art platform Artsy.net, Collect will become a virtual fair for 2021 and will present a group of international galleries giving access to hundreds of exceptional artists and their beautiful contemporary craft for you to view and purchase. Each gallery will create their own online ‘booth’ on Artsy and the Fair will open to the public from 26 February, with VIP previews taking place on 24 and 25 February. The virtual Collect fair will be open on Artsy for a full month until 24 March 2021.
Working with expert curators, collectors, galleries and in collaboration with our partners and sponsors, a full programme of online events will run from 26 February to 2 March. Films, articles, discussions and presentations will bring together a range of voices, opinions and perspectives together to celebrate and champion contemporary craft.