The Open Art Fair, the new incarnation of what was the annual BADA fair in Chelsea, opened in hugely difficult circumstances on Wednesday March 18.
Scheduled to run for more than a week, instead it closed after just two days on March 19.
Around a quarter of the dealers who had booked stands chose not to attend - some of them getting as far as unpacking at Duke of York Square before choosing to heed the latest government advice on public gatherings and social distancing. Among those withdrawing was silver specialist Michael Baggott, a newcomer to the event. “It was a great shame but, watching as the dire warnings were being issued from Downing Street on Monday, I just felt the place to be was with family at home,” he told ATG.