Marriage Flag, Grayson Perry, 2018, £8,500, RAW Editions
(Picture: RAW Editions)Finding original art to suit your home can be intimidating — but it needn’t be. There are plenty of reputable online galleries and helpful print sellers who won’t judge you if you don’t know your Hirst from your Hockney.
Here are some of London’s best options for novice and experienced collectors alike and top tips for how to arrange your purchases perfectly.
Where to buy original art for less
Canopy Collections
A curated online gallery for new art buyers featuring a selection of leading emerging and established artists.
They also host sporadic physical exhibitions, including a recent collaboration with Bowman Sculpture in St James’s, presenting 11 artists ranging from the 19th century to the present day, including Auguste Rodin, Barbara Hepworth, Emily Young, Richard J. Butler and William Cobbing.
Roseberys London
For more than 30 years Roseberys has been a fine art and antique specialist auction house in south London hosting online and live auctions with advance viewing days.
Specialist departments include Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary and Old Master and 19th Century Pictures.
Partnership Editions
Working with emerging artists Partnership Editions, founded by Georgia Spray, curate prints and originals costing from just £60.
They release eight ‘drops’ of original artworks per year, showcased online and through pop-ups, exhibitions and brand collaborations and they even offer a free art advisory service for all budgets.
Tomkinson Churcher
Founded by two ex-Christie’s poster specialists, Tomkinson Churcher have a comprehensive collection of rare and vintage posters, including artist’s posters from such Modern masters as Picasso, Chagall, Hockney and Robert Rauschenberg.
Hi-Noon
Specialising in limited edition photographic prints, Hi-Noon features a diverse group of artists selected by directors, the photographers Sophy Rickett, Rut Blees Luxemburg and Brenna Horrox.
RAW Editions
A London private gallery with expertise in post-war and contemporary prints and multiples by renowned global artists. Current works for sale include pieces by Christo and Jeanne Claude, Jenny Holzer, Howard Hodgkin and Grayson Perry, as well as this work from Louise Bourgeois.
How to arrange art at home: top tips from gallerist Katherine Oliver
Start with an open mind
Don’t rule out anything, consider all the main rooms in your home as well as shelves and mantelpieces. And choose a variety of media, paintings, prints, photographs etc — as well as frame styles that suit each work rather than trying to match each other.
Ditch the tape measure
Creating lines for rows of pictures to sit along can work beautifully in formal settings. But in a home, it is often better to place work “by eye” so that it relates to its domestic setting.
Map out your space
To hang like a pro, measure any large spaces out on the floor with masking tape. But don’t forget to leave some breathing space above furniture and below the ceiling.
Be playful
Lay pictures out on the floor and experiment with groupings and placements before you are happy to hang. Then sleep on it before checking your grouping with fresh eyes the next day.
Create ‘conversations’ between pictures
Look for subtle ways to link groupings together beautifully, such as echoes of the same colour, a similar atmosphere, or lines that seem to lead from one picture to the next.
