Art For Sale, UK
Where to find Art for Sale, United Kingdom
London hosts a plethora of galleries. One of the more crowded spots is around the Piccadilly Circus and Regents Park area. If you head out just east of the City of London, you will also find a hive of artistic activity – this area tends to be more laid back than the West End, with many galleries turning into bars of clubs in the evening.
The easiest way to access the galleries in Birmingham is by train as many of them are situated between Birmingham Snow Hill Station and Birmingham New Street Station. Galleries range from small boutique outlets to larger institutions such as Birmingham Museum Art Gallery.
Liverpool
The city of Liverpool has received many national awards for its cultural influence in the UK. The main area is just west of Lime Street near Liverpool Bay and the University. It is a charming area to spot new talent.
Bristol
A beautiful city located in the West of England, a lot of art for sale can be found near Bristol University. After doing some art-gazing, you can relax in one of the many cafes or bars nearby.
Edinburgh
Located in Scotland, Edinburgh is the place to buy landscapes that depict the beauty of the Scottish landscape. There is an abundance of galleries that sell work from local artists who know the best places to paint. Most of the galleries can be found near Edinburgh Station or the Edinburgh Bus Depot.
Famous art galleries in the United Kingdom
The Tate Britain has a vast collection of Pre-Raphaelites and neo-Classicists art work as well as an impressive collection of art from the Tudors. It is worth exploring all the nooks and crannies of the museum.
The Saatchi Gallery is one of the key influences behind the Young British Art Movement. Located in Chelsea, the exhibitions often split the views of critics, but you are guaranteed to experience some sort of emotion regardless of whether you like what you see.
Formerly a power station, the Tate Modern has a huge collection of modern art covering the whole of the 20th and 21st century. Many of the exhibitions focus on pivotal movements of art within these eras. It is often very busy, so try to avoid the normal rush-hours of the evenings and weekends.
A significant collection of Western European art from the mid-13th century to 1900 is held at the National Gallery. There is so much to see that it is worth visiting more than once.
Many tourists visiting London go to the National Portrait Gallery. Located just off Trafalgar Square, the institute mainly features portraits of royalty and other key historical figures.
Significant Artists from the United Kingdom
A member of the Young British Artists Movement, Damien Hirst could well be the richest living artists in the world. In September 2008, a collection of his work was sold by Sotheby’s for a record-breaking £111 million. Death is often a key theme in his work – he is best known for his dead animals encased in formaldehyde and his diamond-studded skulls.
Tracey Emin is a fellow member of the YBA. Her art is expressed through various forms including needlework, sculpture, drawing, video, photography, painting and literature. Like many of the YBA’s, her work divides opinion. A couple of her famous pieces include ‘My Bed’, which is a bed littered with her dirty laundry, and ‘Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995’, which was a tent with the names of all her sexual partners sewn into the inner canvas.
William Blake (1757-1827) was a poet and a painter. He is considered by some critics as one of the best artists that Britain has ever produced and a key figure in the visual arts movement in the Romantic Age.
A Short History of the United Kingdom Art Scene
From around 2500 B.C., United Kingdom artists were known for the skill with stone, bronze, gold and other metals and minerals.
By the 4th century, religion, history, and battles were the key theme in art.
The Renaissance was fairly late in Britain due to the anti-Catholic restrictions imposed by Henry VIII. A lot of what was happening in Europe did not reach the U.K. shores. There remained a heavy focus on portraits and landscapes amongst United Kingdom artists.
In the late 18th and early 19th century, the U.K. became a lot more experimental with art. Landscape paintings verged on the abstract, and impressionist paintings were becoming more common.
From the mid 19th to late 20th century, the arts and crafts movement made art more accessible to all classes. Impressionism was particularly popular, as was surrealism and Abstract art.
There have recently been two main United Kingdom art movements: the Young British Artists (YBA), and the Stuckists. The YBA movement includes work from the likes of Tracey Emin and Damian Hirst. The focus of the YBA is conceptual art. The Stuckists, who formed in opposition to the YBA movement, focus more on the traditional. They look at landscapes, seas, seasons and the effects that lights has on all of these scenes.