Not for the faint-arted

The forthcoming London Art Week is so packed with exceptional works, from a melancholic Landseer landscape to a bold painting of children by Joaquín Sorolla, that collectors will need exceptional stamina to see it all

THANK heavens for the web. The winter version of London Art Week (LAW, December 1–8; www.londonart week.co.uk) is more diverse than ever and would challenge the fittest and most enthusiastic art lovers, were not a good number of the shows on the internet, rather than on the wall. Naturally, online dealers will have a warm welcome for visitors in the flesh, should anything catch their eyes. This time, as well as the Old Master to modern paintings, drawings and sculpture that are at its core, there will be works of art, porcelain, furniture, books and manuscripts and the auction houses will also be active.

I should not complain that it presents me with an embarrassment of rich subjects to consider —after all, the point of this column is that I am able to write about things that I love, or, more rarely, hate. It is a privilege and I try to enjoy it responsibly, for instance by not unduly promoting particular dealers or galleries, especially if they happen to be friends of mine. However, even self-made rules are sometimes to be broken and, this week, one such gallery, Patrick Bourne & Co, has two paintings online that are so much to my taste that I include both.