Mayfair's hidden art: uncovered

History, statues and The Last Supper

Mayfair is London’s place to go for galleries, and you won’t find a higher density of galleries and auction houses anywhere else in the UK. You can easily while away a day hopping between the galleries, here’s a few you may not have spotted. Next time you’re in the area, why not check these out …

Look up for some Egyptian History

The auction house Sotheby’s is hard to miss on New Bond Street with its flag flying and grand entrance but rather than heading in, we’re asking you to look above the entrance - between the awning and the flag. Sat atop the door, like Edgar Allen Poe’s Raven, is a bust of Sekhmet - the Egyptian goddess of war and love, not sure what that’s saying about auction houses.

Read the date and you’ll see it’s from circa 1320 BC, which makes it the oldest sculpture in London and more than 1,000 years older than London itself. The oldest sculpture if you don’t count Cleopatra’s needle, which is a tad older but more of a monument than a sculpture. Many people walk past Sekhmet multiple times without noticing.

When it comes to auction houses, don’t let the plush interiors and dapper doormen put you off as all are welcome to venture inside and see what’s on show. This also applies to Phillips on Berkeley Square and Christie’s on King Street nearby - the latter often offers free coffee for visitors just inside the entrance on the left and I wrote about Christie’s secrets in 2016. We’ve stumbled upon masterpieces by Rembrandt and Munch on previous visits to auction houses and some great works by living artists.

Beneath the paywall:

• Where to find The Last Supper in London

• Sculptures on roofs

• A sweeping staircase

• A contemporary art revival