There is a huge array of modern and contemporary art on display at the 2026 edition of London Art Fair ranging from drawing, painting and prints to textiles, ceramics and sculpture.
We found ourselves drawn to some eye-catching paintings spanning abstraction, still life and figurative by Paul Nash at Gerrish Fine Art, Francois Bard at Galerie Olivier Waltman, Simon Casson at Long & Ryle, Tonye Ekine in the Ingram Collection Prize alumni exhibition curated by Jo Baring, Jordy Kerwick at Vigo Gallery and Alexander Massouras at Julian Page Projects.
Here are Culturalee’s six favourite paintings at London Art Fair 2026.
Simon Casson at Long & Ryle
Simon Casson’s exquisite oil paintings evoke a mixture of Baroque decadence and Pre-Raphaelite beauty, with a sprinkling of Rubens. They belong to another era but he reframes the Western tradition of figurative painting with a contemporary twist.
Francois Bard at Galerie Olivier Waltman
French artist Francois Bard draws inspiration from the religious realism of Spanish 17th century Baroque painter Zurbarán. Bard evokes Zurbarán’s mastery of chiaroscuro and applies it to contemporary characters, creating breathtaking drama through his portraiture. Bard’s formative training at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris and Casa Velasquez in Madrid lends his work painterly excellence and a sense of history, which he subverts through a contemporary lens.
Tonye Ekine – The Ingram Prize
Nigerian-born artist Tonye Ekine is a highlight of The Ingram Prize 2025 alumni exhibition curated by its director Jo Baring. His intelligent lens and mastery of paint rejects outdated tropes of Primitivist art by examining the psychology of masks and subverting art history’s Western biased.
Paul Nash at Gerrish Fine Art
A highlight of Gerrish Fine Art‘s display is Paul Nash’s Dahlias 1927. Modern British Artist Nash’s lush red floral still life had a cameo role in Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder, where it can be spotted in the background mirroring Grace Kelly’s scarlet dress.
Jordy Kerwick at Vigo Gallery
Born in Australia and living in France, Jordy Kerwick’s eye-catching paintings depict fantastical creatures inhabiting the void between fantasy and reality. A bold palette and child-like naivety is derived from the paintings he started making with his young child. Kerwick’s unique style looks set to make him explode on the world stage.
Alexander Massouras at Julian Page Projects
Another rising talent to watch is Alexander Massouras, whose abstract red and yellow canvas is a highlight of Julian Page Projects’ stand at London Art Fair. The Cambridge-based artist (b. 1981) has developed a distinct visual modernist-influenced language, and his work can be found in major collections including the British Museum, V&A and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
London Art Fair is at the Business Design Centre, Islington from 21st to 25th January, 2026.
Find more information and tickets here.
