Where to buy affordable art: degree shows, open studios, fairs and museum galleries

The cheaper routes to original art run through the maker, a non-profit or a payment plan rather than the usual gallery wall, and each puts you in front of the person who set the price or lets you pay for it over time. The routes below run from free events where you can simply look, to credit schemes that let you take a piece home on the day. Each section gives the price evidence that exists, the date it applies to and the currency it is quoted in. Nothing here ranks sellers. The wider buying guide covers the rest of the process.

Order of play, short version. Fix the number before you look⁸. Meet the artist first, at a degree show or an open studio^{2, 9}. Move to a price-capped fair next¹. If a piece is still over budget, try a museum rental gallery or interest-free credit^{3, 5}.

What a first original costs in the UK

A small original from an emerging artist at a dealer’s fair stand is the realistic floor in pounds²⁰, a graduate showcase sits a rung above it¹², and credit schemes stretch the ceiling^{5, 6}. The £55 anonymous-sale price in the table is a 2015 figure for one charity sale¹⁵, so read it as history. A small first original is a normal purchase at the low end of this range, and well inside what the routes below offer.

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Set a number before you look

A budget decides where you should look. Fix an amount you will not exceed⁸, and for a UK buyer start from the pound figures in the table above. The common mistake is to chase a bargain before setting the number.

Allow for what comes after the purchase. As a collection grows you will need budget for insurance and storage⁸, and the framing guide covers what a frame can add to the cost of a paper work. There is no need to set purchase targets, and no rush to build a collection⁸. If you are new to this, see as much work as you can before buying, so that your eye is educated and you know what you like⁹. Visiting galleries and fairs also helps you learn prices and styles¹¹.

Degree shows and graduate sales

A degree show is a chance to buy or commission work from emerging artists². Graduate shows are good places to seek out quality, affordable art⁸. At Hereford College of Arts, the purchase is directly with the artist, who gets the full proceeds of the sale². You see a piece you like, agree a price with the artist and collect it or arrange delivery after the show². If you are not sure whether a piece is for sale, ask².

Some courses also sell smaller items at the show that you can take home with you². When degree shows could not go ahead, a selling exhibition of London graduate work at the Saatchi Gallery sent all proceeds to the artists¹². The Slade prices quoted at the top of this page come from that single show, so check the current year’s prices with the school.

Open studios and buying direct

An open studio is a workroom made accessible to visitors during an event, where creative work can be viewed¹³. Several countries run their own versions of the event¹³. Beginners should start with open studio events, because you get to speak directly to the artists⁹. Most artists have pieces for sale and will work with you and your budget⁹. For a novice, these events are an easy and unintimidating way to learn about contemporary art⁹.

Once you have a better grasp of what you like and what you do not, you can buy directly from artists on Instagram⁹, but wait until your taste has settled first⁹. Instagram needs its own checks on the seller and the payment method, set out in buying art from emerging artists.

Fairs with a price ceiling

The Affordable Art Fair began in Battersea Park, London, in October 1999¹, set up as an alternative to the traditional gallery scene¹. No work there is priced above £7,500¹, and the fair is held in nine countries¹. For people completely new to the art world it is the usual first fair, and plenty of the work comes straight from the studio⁹. Outside the UK the same ceiling is quoted as €10,000 or $12,000¹. Ceilings move, so read the current fair’s rules before you go.

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Spreading the cost

Own Art is a UK national initiative offering interest-free credit for the purchase of original contemporary art and craft⁴. It is delivered through over 300 galleries across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland⁴, and the scheme is publicly funded⁶. Payments can be spread over ten months, interest free⁶, or over 10 or 20 months, subject to status⁵. The 20-month agreements are only available through galleries authorised by the FCA to carry on credit broking activities⁵.

Own Art has so far supported over £79 million of sales of contemporary art and craft to UK customers⁴. Applicants must be over 18 and UK residents⁶, although some students and people not in work can still apply⁵. The usual test is working at least 16 hours a week, drawing a pension or receiving disability allowance⁶. One Belfast gallery offers Own Art on pieces from £100 to £25,000¹⁹, and you can take the work home the same day¹⁹. Its worked example is a £500 purchase with a £50 deposit (10%) and £50 a month for 9 months¹⁹. There are consequences for missed payments, such as fixed late fees and an adverse impact on your credit file⁶.

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RCA Secret and other anonymous sales

The Royal College of Art’s RCA Secret sale is the UK’s best-known anonymous sale. Works are displayed anonymously, so you guess the artist before you pay¹⁵. All profits go to the RCA Fine Art student award fund¹⁵.

Prints, drawings and other formats

Limited edition prints are usually cheaper than an original, although they may not hold as much value in future⁸. Drawings, photographs and works on paper are often much cheaper than a traditional painting⁸. Sculpture can also cost less, because it is not as often in demand⁸. If you are unsure which format you are looking at, the guide to original art versus prints explains the difference.

Galleries and dealers

An art dealer is a person or company that trades in art, or acts as the intermediary between buyers and sellers¹⁸. Dealers in contemporary art usually exhibit artists’ work in their own galleries¹⁸. Galleries typically avoid displaying prices on the wall, so if you feel awkward asking the sales consultant, check a gallery’s website, which is often more transparent⁸.

Beyond the UK: rental galleries, benefit nights and banded fairs

These are short asides for readers abroad, useful as models rather than as UK routes. A rental and sales gallery lets you live with a piece before you buy it. The Art Gallery of St Albert in Canada charges rental fees of $5 to $100 a month³. If you buy, 50% of the rental fees paid for up to six months comes off the price³. You do not need to be a member to buy³, and payment is in full or by a 0% monthly plan³. Anyone may buy from the Coos Art Museum in Oregon¹⁶, and up to two consecutive rental periods can be credited towards a purchase paid in full by the end of the rental¹⁶. In Portland, the Rental Sales Gallery was founded in 1959 and represents almost 200 artists from Oregon and Washington state¹⁷. Its sales and rentals support local artists and the museum¹⁷.

Benefit nights work differently. In one New York model the artist donates a piece, and a ticket generally priced between $200 and $300 gets you one of the works on show⁹, though that interview dates from July 2017⁹. In India, the CIMA Art Mela listed works in the INR 5,000 to 5,00,000 range for 2025⁷ and aims to give young collectors an opportunity to begin⁷. A US guide for new collectors lists its smallest band at $50 to $150 for prints, photography and downloads¹¹. Of the money taken at St Albert, 50% of rental fees and 60% of sales commissions go directly to the artists³.