PAD: the art of living with exceptional objects

Wool acquires sculptural volume; leather appears to flow. Materials associated with familiar uses take on unexpected delicacy or weight. At maison parisienne, Héléna Guy Lhomme presented a sculpture in carded wool inspired by Selene’s horse from the Parthenon. At Galerie Boketto, Thibault Philip’s translucent light was made from dried pig intestine, its fragile appearance giving little indication of its origin.

Such discoveries reward conversation with the galleries. An object’s surface offers the first impression; learning about its construction reveals the experimentation and judgement behind it.

Founded by Patrick Perrin in 2007, PAD London brings historical and contemporary design into company with fine art and jewellery. Works by Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann and Alexander Calder formed part of the wider gallery presentations, through participants including Opera Gallery and Galerie von Vertes.

For visitors, the fair offers an opportunity to see these works within a single route. For collectors, it also provides a direct conversation about provenance, exhibition history and acquisition.

Two jury awards highlighted the enduring appeal of furniture as a collecting field. Meubles et Lumières received the Historical Design Prize for Flemming Agger’s Kronen sofa, created in 1967. Its generous, crownlike form comprises four padded fibreglass modules. According to PAD, two examples exist.

By Yuliana Rurko