AFFORDABLE ART FAIR

A short video introducing Will Ramsay, the founder of Affordable Art Fair in London and the idea behind it.

This particular art fair goes back to the beginnings of 1996, when Will Ramsay opened Art Warehouse in southwest London to bridge the increasing interest in contemporary art and the London gallery scene. Three years later the Affordable Art Fair was born. 

"Now up to 22,000 people come to each London fair to enjoy the art exhibited by the 120 British and international galleries. In the same year he established a fair in the West Country; the Bristol fair in May is now very popular attracting around 7,000 visitors over three days. Today, Will’s Art Warehouse still stands and the Affordable Art Fair has become something of a global phenomenon. The success of the British fairs encouraged Will to explore other markets and the Affordable Art Fair now takes place in cities including Amsterdam, Brussels, New York, Milan, Singapore, Hamburg, Mexico City, Seattle, Stockholm, Hong Kong and Maastricht. Globally, over 1.4 million people have visited an Affordable Art Fair, buying over £203 million worth of art."(Affordable Art Fair)

The Affordable Art Fair is a unique, really great concept mixing business with culture and tourism in which you can see and buy thousands of art works in an accessible and inspiring environment. Paintings and prints, sculptures and photography, an original work of diverse art by an upcoming talent or an established artist from around the world. In a short matter of time through its popularity and success  it has become globally recognisable and this year its held twice in London; Hampstead Heath, 12-15 June and Battersea 23-26 October 2014. For the details check out the website.

What's also worth to mention is the PULSE art fair that Will Ramsay created in 2005 held annually in New York and Miami. "PULSE combines thoughtfully curated exhibitions with an evolving series of programming, which reflects the fair’s commitment to making the visitor experience a dynamic one." (PULSE, New York)

It is a revitalised platform for the discovery of contemporary art and an exchange of ideas from pioneering and seasoned artists happening 8-11 May this year!

LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR 24 - 27 April' 14

London's longest-running art fair returns for its 29th year at the Royal Academy!

"With some 50 international exhibitors, the four-day show offers a wonderful opportunity to see and buy original prints, from the earliest Renaissance woodcuts to the latest editions by contemporary masters. Showcasing galleries, dealers and print publishers from across the UK, Europe and USA, LOPF is the perfect place to engage with experts and artists. This year to coincide with Renaissance Impressions in The Sackler Wing of Galleries, a number of old master exhibitors at LOPF feature chiaroscuro woodcuts on their stands. All prints are for sale, by artists such as Rembrandt, Goya and Picasso to Francis Bacon, David Hockney RA and Grayson Perry RA." (Royal Academy)

Here is the link to the website where Helen Rosslyn, Director of the London Original Print Fair, explains the concept of an original print ☛ Making a mark: #PrintMonth at the RA

London Original Print Fair is an amazing opportunity for art lovers to participate in such exciting event, a special occasion to see/ purchase original works of great artists, featuring an exciting programme of artists’ talks and demonstrations. Again, it has a huge impact on arts industry and UK's tourism, bringing people from all over the wold, engaging known galleries such as White Cube in 2013 and welcoming emerging talents internationally. This year looks promising with talks, just to name few; Experimentations in Chiaroscuro : Beccafumi’s Prints, Oil Sketches and Marble Intarsia, Introducing 'Dream, Draw, Work'- Curator’s Talk and evening event, Short Stories with Tim Winton.

If you are feeling lucky go to ☛ Competition ArtFund,

Five pairs of tickets to give away, plus an exclusive talk and tour of the Fair with Anne Desmet RA. It closes in 2 days, hurry up! 

If this is not convincing you to participate in this years print fair take a tour here ➳ THE LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR: INTELLIGENT COLLECTING

I am recently drawn into Yayoi Kusama work. Here is one of the prints that was available to buy in April 2012.

Pumpkin and Fruits, 1993 screen-print 33.2 x 42.6 cm

Hope to see you there! 

Place branding through art fairs

Art & the City will examine how international cities are incorporating art in major new cultural quarters worldwide. From Belo Horizonte to Shanghai, from Latvia to the Middle East, and not to mention in London, the private sector is driving this regeneration. Developers are building cultural quarters and art hotels, retailers are blurring the lines between shops and galleries, and art fairs are branding cities and attracting tourism. (ART REINVENTS THE URBAN LANDSCAPE)

London Art Fair
UK’s largest Modern British and contemporary art fair, attracting 30,694 visitors in 2013, promotes BookaHotelDeal Ltd as the official accommodation supplier for hotels near Business Design Centre. (discounted rates not available via any website or other publicly available channel. (LondonArtFair) 
Furthermore, 
London Art Fair also advertises the surrounding abundance of cafes, bars and restaurants.  (LondonArtFair)
All VIPs (3484 people in 2013) are offered tours, receptions and openings at some of London’s most prestigious institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern and Serpentine Gallery. (LondonArtFair)

Frieze
Frieze does not specifically promote local restaurants, but uses some chosen onces inside the venue to provide a full-service. The menu highlighted classic British dishes and included favourites from the Hix signature menu, as well as Mark’s own smoked salmon and a variety of oysters. (Frieze) 
Furthermore, the website promotes Londons´ best hotels, including Hyatt Regency London-The Churchill, Clarides. St Pancras Renaissance Hotel... (Frieze)

Art14
Art14 London drew artists, galleries and collectors from across the world, and saw an increased number of visitors at the second edition of London’s global art fair. The Fair ran from 28 February - 2 March at Olympia Grand, Kensington, presenting 180 galleries from 40 countries, and welcoming thousands of visitors over four days. Collectors and curators from around the world gathered for the Preview and art lovers and buyers attended in their thousands across the weekend, with strong sales reported. (Art14)

The London Original Print Fair
The London Oridinal Print Fair promotes mostly local restaurants:

• Royal Academy Restaurant 
• The Keeper’s House
• Gallery Café
• Atelier Café, Burlington Gardens 

(LondonPrintFair)

The Other Art Fair
Advertises London Sightseeings and shows how close those are tot he venue:

• Madame Tussaud’s: 1 min walk
• Marylebone High Street: 3 min walk
• Royal Academy of Music: 3 min walk
• Regent’s Park: 5 min walk
• Sherlock Holmes Museum: 6 min walk

(TheOtherFair)