Making a house a home is a skill in itself. You lay down a cosy rug, add an indoor plant here and there and throw a knitted blanket across every possible piece of furniture. But somehow, something is still missing. Art. From sculpture, to photography, to oil paintings, art is one of the best ways to warm up a house or flat, as well as expressing your own unique tastes and passions.
The problem is, the art world has traditionally been, well, a bit snobby. Auction houses and stuffy critics meant that the whole idea of choosing art was all too daunting, and fear of reproach stopped many in their tracks. What if you choose something deemed ‘tacky’, or you save up to buy a piece you love, only to be scoffed at by a self-proclaimed art aficionado. Luckily, this is changing, and judgement is slowly being removed from the art world in favour of inclusivity, tolerance of other people’s taste and a collective celebration of every artist’s work.
But there’s one even bigger obstacle when it comes to buying art. It is seriously expensive, right? Well, not if you know where to look. From degree art shows, to online collectives that champion up-and-coming talent, to undiscovered masterpieces on Etsy, we’ve rounded up the very best places to find affordable art that you’ll cherish forever.
Many have works available for under £250 and offer a wide variety of mediums including sculpture, tapestries, oil on canvas as well as framed prints of original pieces, which are available for a lot less. The most important thing to think about is whether you like the art, and whether it fits in the space you have available, so make sure to check the dimensions.
As for whether it will be an investment – the short answer is who knows. Any art connoisseur will tell you should never buy art to try and make money from it – the future success of an artist is almost entirely unknowable and depends on way too many subjective elements. Plus, you have to look at the art for as long as you own it, so the most important thing is to choose something that you don’t mind hanging on your wall.