The London Lefevre Gallery, a major player in the London Art scene
since 1926, was announced in January to be closing its doors soon.
Coming so quickly after D’Offay’s own withdrawal, a trend
is well becoming apparent. The Museum world may be flourishing as
never before as a result of Lottery funding, but the commercial
galleries are feeling the Euro-pinch. As director Martin Summers
admitted from their august premises in Bruton Street off Bond Street,
‘We feel that a big commercial gallery such as this with its
high overheads is now a thing of the past’. This gallery, Alex
Reid and Lefevre Ltd have played a historic part in the London art
world of the 20th century, assisting in the building of numerous
public gallery collections as well as those of private individuals.
Godfrey Pilkington’s Piccadilly Gallery left Cork Street in
1998, and Fischer Fine Art left King Street in 1995. Summers says
that the final blow was the recent application of VAT on all items
entering Britain from outside Europe, as well as the implementation
forthcoming of artist’s re-sale royalty which will be payable
to European artists or their heirs on all sales over a period up
to 75 years after the artist’s death. Which famous gallery
will be the next to follow?
