See you there.

Got a passion for painting or a serious sculpture habit? Mesmerised by moving image or tempted by textiles? Own Art could be just the thing to help you live with the art you love. Best of all, there are several galleries participating in the fast approaching Buy Art Fair and The Manchester Contemporary where you will be able to make use of the scheme including Art Republic, Bohemia Galleries, Seventeen and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

If you haven’t come across it before, Own Art is an Arts Council England initiative that makes it easy and affordable for almost everyone to collect contemporary art and craft.

The scheme works by allowing customers to spread the cost of their purchase over 10 months with the help of an interest-free loan. Loans are available from as little as £100 (or £10 per month) up to a maximum of £2000 (£200 per month) and can be used for the purchase of work in any media – as long as it is original work by a living artist. If the piece that you’re after costs more than £2000 then the loan can be used as part payment or you can select several lower value items to make up a total purchase of £2000 or more.

Despite the financial downturn during the past couple of years, Own Art sales figures  show that the appetite for investing in original works of art and craft is as healthy as ever. The availability of the scheme means that a fat salary cheque is no longer a requirement in order to buy into the originals market, and the reality is that few of us can afford to splash out a couple of thousand on an artwork, no matter how much we desire it or want to support the artist.

Own Art helps make buying original possible but also gives buyers the confidence to make their first leap into the market or to be more experimental – the option to select a price point which is manageable and then spread the cost is at the heart of this decision-making process. The scheme has even helped inspire people who would usually have little or no engagement with art to get involved – important for the future of the visual arts ecology and nurturing the next generation of patrons.

So, if all this talk of buying art has whetted your appetite then why not start looking for that special piece today or when you visit Buy Art Fair or The Manchester Contemporary – galleries where you can use Own Art will be clearly marked as you walk around.

A full list of galleries offering Own Art across the UK can be found on the website

AND you can now collect original work of art with Own Art online in our new Art Store at www.culturelabel.com/art.

Visit stand 239 at Buy Art Fair where CultureLabel will be on hand to tell you more about this exciting new initiative and provide further information about the Own Art scheme. A talk is taking place on Sunday.

We absolutely cannot wait for the Buy Art Fair in Manchester, and will be exhibiting limited edition work from some fantastic established British artists. They include Sir Peter Blake, Banksy, Damien Hirst, Andrew McAttee, Eine, Dan Baldwin, Brad Faine, Screen Prince and Graham Carter. In addition rare work by US prolific artist Obey and LA based Mr Brainwash will also be on view.

Over the four days we will be running an exclusive prize draw into which anyone who purchases artwork will be automatically entered, to win the rare Banksy print – entitled Virgin Mary.

And that’s not all! For anyone registering their details with artrepublic during the show they will be entered in to a separate draw to win Peter Blake limited edition footware.

These highly collectable boots are made of black nappa leather and feature Peter Blake’s trademark heart, target, rainbow and star motifs. Artrepublic will be giving away three pairs, worth £180 per pair.

Gallery director Lindsay Alkin, who is managing artrepublic’s involvement with the show, said: “We are really excited about doing the Buy Art Fair in Manchester. Not only is it a great, vibrant city but it’s also full of art collectors and enthusiasts so we will be showcasing rare cutting edge pieces, iconic and contemporary work.”

artrepublic Soho, 42 New Compton St / London / WC2H 8DA / 020 7240 7909
artrepublic, 13 Bond Street / Brighton / BN1 1RD / 01273 724829
www.artrepublic.com

As move closer to the launch of the Buy Art Fair 2010, we have loads of new galleries to take part in the event, and many and others returning to the fair once again.

The Buy Art Fair prides itself on bringing you a diverse range of work to suit everyone’s taste. Limited edition prints are popular this year because they are a great way to purchase artwork by an established artists, whose original pieces may not be in your price range.

Be sure to have a look at prints from Jealous Gallery as well as Eyestorm who both have a great variety of artists’ prints by emerging and well-known artists such as Lucie Bennett and Richard Billingham.

Our most recent confirmations include:

Cameron Contemporary Art – This Brighton-based art gallery specialises in contemporary British painters, especially Scottish artists.

Robin Ross – Many of you will also be happy to see the return of Robin Ross who is back for his third year exhibiting with the Buy Art Fair. Not only will Robin bringing new pieces by some of the popular and established street artists such Agent Provocateur, Dan Baldwin and Finbarr Notte but he has also been working hard producing some of his own prints, which will be shown for the first time at the fair.

Mayflower Gallery – This year we have some fantastic figurative paintings by Hungarian artists from the Mayflower Gallery.

Chagan Art –  This gallery is based in London but promote and sell work some British artists but mainly South African artists, who will be showcasing of the best work from the continent.

We’re also really excited to welcome Bookstore to the Buy Art Fair, which will be run by Cornerhouse, which is the biggest distributer of contemporary art publications in the region. Be sure to pop over and have a look you may find a book by one of your favourite artists.

Register for your free tickets at www.buyairfair.co.uk

There are wide range of talks from well-known collectors, on art for the workplace, and learning about contemporary art. These are a great addition to the event, which is so accessible to everyone, whether you’re a complete art novice or a more experienced collector.

One famous collector, Robert Devereux, who has been collecting art for more than 40 years, will be sharing his experiences – and he certainly knows what he’s talking about!

Another talk discusses how it’s possible to buy and share art within a collective. Members of The Collective who have been doing this for some years now will discuss their experiences and answer questions.

Another interesting-sounding talk will be given by Sally Lai and Ying Kwok from Manchester’s Chinese Arts Centre, giving an introduction to collecting Chinese art.

On top of this, there will be guided talks around The Manchester Contemporary and a chance to meet and chat to the artists. This is a great way to understand the thinking behind the pieces and add to your knowledge of contemporary art.

The talks are sponsored by the Contemporary Art Society, Arts & Business and Corridor 8.

For the timetable visit: www.buyartfair.co.uk/arttalks

Hi All,

Firstly we would like to thank you for your interest in Buy Art Fair.  We are really excited about this year’s show and will be using this blog to keep you up to date with the latest BAF news and behind the scenes action!

Manchester’s premier art buying event is back even bigger and better for the third year running. We are pleased to announce the confirmed dates for this year’s show are 28-31 October 2010.  

With more than 80 galleries exhibiting and showing their work, this is a great place to visit for art lovers, collectors and anyone interested in buying and learning about art.  

The Buy Art Fair is sponsored by Bluefin Insurance Services in conjunction with AXA Art. The fair is also sponsored by Jaguar Cars and Spinningfields.

Buy Art Fair has become a regular fixture on Manchester’s art scene offering talks by prominent figures in the art world and advice on starting an art collection.

With galleries and cultural partners from all over the North West, the Buy Art Fair brings together lovers of contemporary art over one weekend. Visit the website, www.buyartfair.co.uk, for a full what’s on of other art events happening at the same time.

This year’s event is moving to the Spinningfields district of Manchester city centre, taking place in a large pavilion. Sitting on the River Irwell, the area is full of restaurants and café bars, making it ideal for a weekend visit.  

John Dare, director of the Buy Art Fair, said “This year’s fair is shaping up to be the best yet with the work of over 300 artists on show. The fair is an incredible and unique opportunity to buy high quality contemporary art from all over the UK.  

“We are extremely excited by the prospect of moving to Spinningfields. It is such a fantastic location in the heart of the city surrounded by restaurants and cafes.” 

Running alongside Buy Art Fair is The Manchester Contemporary which provides a selection of cutting edge contemporary artists all curated by Manchester based gallery International 3.