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Excuse Me: In Conversation with London Art Fair Director Sally Bent

Erin-Atlanta Argun
written by Erin-Atlanta Argun,
Last updated23 Jan 2025
5 minute read
A photograph of a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a light blue and cream patterened top, against a blue background.Sally Bent © London Art Faur2025
Joe Syer

Joe Syer

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As London Art Fair 2025 kicks off, I sat down with Sally Bent - Director of the Fair - to discuss her inspirations, favourite artworks, and the enduring impact of the artists she admires. From Frank Auerbach to Tracey Emin, Sally shares her perspective on the art world and its emotional power.

Q: If you could own any work of art in the world, what would it be and why?

It really depends on my mood. So, in the run-up to the fair, I always say something like The Scream. But one of the works I always come back to is Frank Auerbach’s Mornington Crescent - Summer Morning. I’m a North Londoner, and the early morning light around Camden has always had this special place in my heart. I just feel like if I had that on my wall, it would always make me very happy.

Q: What was the first work of art you ever loved?

When I was younger and a bit more “eye-rolly” about Contemporary art, I remember going to the Rothko room at the Tate, and having such an emotional response to those pieces. They have such depth. I don’t come from a practicing art background, and I was definitely one of those people who thought it was just blocks of colour on the wall. But when you go and sit in front of them, it really gives you cause to think, and I still think it’s one of the first pieces that made me really reassess my relationship with art and my emotional connection to it.

Q: If you hosted a dinner party with three artists, living or dead, who would they be?

I think Auerbach would have to be there. I do love David Hockney also. He’d be a great guest to have just because he’s got good cheeky chap energy. Finally, I think Lubiana Himid would be a very interesting Contemporary artist to have there.

The Rothko room in Tate was one of the first instances that made me reassess my relationship with art and my emotional connection to it.

Q: What work of art do you wish you could lay eyes on for the first time again?

I can’t think of a specific artwork, but there’s something about going into a Roman church and seeing a Caravaggio. There’s something about encountering art in a different way in those spaces. I went to Rome with my family in my twenties, and I do remember my mum banging on at me about how important it was. I think going to see it again now and knowing more about how art has to be conserved and presented, I think I’d have a more mature approach now.

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Q: Which artists do you think we’ll still be talking about in 100 years?

Obviously Frank has to be in there, and after his passing last year there’s been a real reassessment of his work. Francis Bacon is also quite front-of-mind for me right now as we have Bacon at the forefront of the Sainsbury wing at the beginning of the fair.

Q: Favourite gallery/museum/cultural institution?

There’s something very lovely about the Horniman Museum, they have an insane collection. I’d also say South London Gallery, because I think the programme of works they do for a small gallery out of Central London really pushes the boundaries and they’re such a champion of up-and-coming artists.

Q: What are you reading/listening to at the moment?

I’m very late to the party but I’ve just started reading Yellow Face. It’s good, dark humour. I also started reading Agatha Christie over Christmas; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a great entry point and has a great twist. I love a good page-turner that transports your mind somewhere else entirely.

Q: If you could swap lives with an artist for the day, who would it be and when?

I would quite like to have been Tracey Emin when she brought out the bed. I just think that piece is so ballsy and she took so much flak for it. I think it would be very interesting to have a moment in her shoes. And it’s so interesting as well that when all her work burnt down, she refused to recreate it. Her work is made and defined by moments that can’t be repeated.

Joe Syer

Joe Syer

Co-Founder & Specialist

[email protected]

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