London Art Week

Every October, London is turned into an art enthusiast's dream as the Frieze Art Fair rolls into town, pitching up tents in Regent's Park full of pieces created by artists as varied as the darling of Tate Modern, Gerhard Richter, to the mad George Condo, more recently famous for the artwork to Kanye West's 2010 album and a personal favorite of mine, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. 

The exterior wall of the Village Underground, a space dedicated to all things artistic and reflecting life in East London's Shoreditch neighborhood, an area reminiscent of NYC's lower east side.

Frieze is for the serious and wealthy collector with spare mil to kill, so we decided to check out Moniker Art Fair, a more suitable event in Shoreditch's Village Underground for the less wealthy, albeit no less serious, aficionado.  Moniker celebrates street art, featuring such artists as Banksy on the more expensive end, but with reasonably priced prints by the young and up-and-coming (I snagged one by an artist in residence, who I had dedicate the print in person!).  One of my favorite pieces was a large scale canvas by the artist Joe Black, who created the image of a soldier's face and helmet out of hundreds of miniature plastic soldier figurines.  

As an added treat to wind up the weekend, another festival was taking place on the Southbank that celebrated something just as wonderful: the Cheese & Wine Festival.  Sharing a glass of Prosecco with friends on steps with London as our backdrop was the perfect compliment to Art Week 2011.