subject: Art Fairs From Art Calendr [print this page] Art fairs are taking place all over the country, and are especially popular during the summer months. Affordable Art Fairs is a contemporary art fairfounded by Will Ramsay in 1999. The aim of the fair is to make contemporary art accessible to everyone, not just millionaires and the well off. In 1996, Mr Ramsay opened 'Wills Art Warehouse' in south west London to bridge the increasing interest in contemporary art and the London gallery scene.
By concentrating on relatively unknown artists not carrying a premium for reputation, the gallery was able to offer works from 50 - 2,500 from a stable of over 150 artists. The response to Wills Art Warehouse encouraged him to take his approach to the next level, and in October 1999, he launched the first Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park. 10,000 visitors took advantage of the ease of buying, breadth of choice, affordable prices and user-friendly approach.
Will launched a second event in Battersea Park, London in 2001 to showcase the Spring Collection, with different artists from the previous collection. The art fairs now fetch over 23,000 people in London to enjoy the art exhibited by 120 British and international galleries. In the same year, Mr Ramsay launched a fair in the West Country and it now takes place every May in Bristol.
Affordable Art Fairs, or AAF as it has been branded, has also become something of a global phenomenon with fairs taking place in Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, New York and Singapore, while affiliate events include Sydney and Melbourne. Globally, 650,000 people have visited an Affordable Art Fair, buying over 100 worthmillion of art.
