Affordable Art Fair 2016 in Hampstead 

Hampstead Heath might not be the first place you’d think of looking if you wanted to buy a work of art. However, it’s currently home to this year’s June edition of the Affordable Art Fair. There are works by over 1,000 artists on show, exhibited by a host of galleries from all over the world. Everything is priced between £100 and £5,000, so if you’re looking to start collecting or just want something nice for your walls, the Affordable Art Fair is a safe bet.

As with all art fairs at this scale, there is a healthy smattering of rubbish: generic views of London and pseudo-pop collages make regular appearances. However, there are also some real gems to be found. The Scottish highlands and islands seem to feature in much of the landscape art on show. There are some nice examples of luminous landscape painting from the Scottish Art Portfolio at stand B4.

The stand-out works of Scottish art, however, can be found at Eduardo Alessandro Studios at stand B7. Ron Lawson’s paintings feature the repeated motif of characteristic rural houses on the Outer Hebrides. White and squat, they sit in the empty countryside against a grey expanse of sky. It is this large, blank sky that makes the paintings so striking, evocative of the characteristic weather of the British Isles. 

There are also some stunning still lifes on show, with examples featuring well-loved crockery, dusty pints of Guinness, and carefully folded piles of linen. Some of the best can be found at ArtDog (stand E4) and DeKunstSalon (stand F6).

In order to get the people of Hampstead involved, the Affordable Art Fair had the unusual idea of organising a “running gallery”. They set up seven art works on a temporary wall on one of Hampstead Heath’s busiest running routes. As people jogged past, they were able to get a taste of the sort of pieces on display inside the fair.

If you’re a novice when it comes to buying art, this fair is a good place to start. Not only can you take art away with you on the spot, there’s also a useful wrapping and shipping service. With workshops and tours available, as well as the pre-requisite Champagne bar, the Affordable Art Fair Hampstead really does have something for everyone.  

Anna Souter

Affordable Art Fair is on in Hampstead from 16^th until 19^th June 2016, for further information visit here.