Buying original art can, though, be an expensive pursuit. However, there are some excellent resources for purchasing really good quality prints, whether by well-known artists or more emerging practitioners. Here are the ones we rate.
King & McGaw
King & McGaw began life in Brighton in 1982, when three brothers decided to bring much beloved artworks to a wider audience, starting out by printing them on a second-hand screen press. Today the operation is somewhat more state-of-the-art than that, and necessarily so: forty-one years later, the business has a global reach, and often collaborates with artists’ estates – including those of The Andy Warhol Foundation, Picasso, Matisse, Basquiat, and Frank Bowling. Similarly, the company works with some of the largest bastions of culture in the world – from Tate to the National Gallery to MoMa in New York. Worried about the environment? King & McGaw saves on paper thanks to its printer being fitted with low-energy LED lights, allowing the whole process to be as precise as possible. You can buy unframed prints from £35 and framed ones typically from £140 from artists including Henri Matisse, Tove Jansson and Eric Ravilious. We also love its collection of rare posters and old film stills. Explore the full collection here.
Goldmark Gallery
Run as a family business, the Uppingham-based Goldmark Gallery has been going for over forty years, bring together the work of a comprehensive and exciting list of artists, and selling a mixture of original ceramics, lithographs and screen prints. In 2022, The Sunday Times wrote of it, ‘The extraordinary Goldmark art gallery. In no other small town can you gaze at woodcuts by Kandinsky and original prints by Picasso. With 20 exhibitions a year, as well as concert and recitals, the espresso machine works almost as hard as the 40 staff.’ From the outset, founder Mike Goldmark set himself apart by investing in ‘good, real, art, made by highly intelligent people, masters of their craft who have something to tell us about the world.’ Working both with living artists and the estates of late ones, you don’t need to be in Rutland to explore Goldmark’s offering: the gallery runs a slick and easy-to-use online shop too. There you can find works from Joan Miro to Ceri Richards to John Piper and many, many more. You can shop by artist or by collection, from original posters to landscape to ceramics. Explore the full collection here.
Partnership Editions
If you want to get your hands on prints from emerging talents, Partnership Editions works in collaboration with up-and-coming artists, producing prints from just £60. Dropping eight collections of original works each year, it is committed to eliminating the elitism that often surrounds the art world, reaching new audiences through an events programme as well as via its online platform. Explore the full collection here.
The Kinfolk Print Collection
Available via The Poster Club, The Kinfolk Print Collection is a collaboration between Kinfolk Magazine and ALIUM, a Copenhagen-based art gallery. They say, ‘Since 2011, Kinfolk has dedicated its magazine to creativity, community and living life with intention. The same values guide the creative process of both Kinfolk and ALIUM. In an effort to celebrate the creative talents of Kinfolk’s contributors, the Kinfolk Print Collection brings some of the magazine’s most iconic and enduring editorial images off the printed page.’ Available from €99, the prints are beautiful, stylish and we want them all. Oh, and they’re created to fit standard frames too. Explore the full collection here.
Charleston Farmhouse
Everyone who visits Charleston Farmhouse, former home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, immediately wants to go home and recreate their slice of it. But once you’ve tried your hand daubing motifs onto every wall, fireplace and wardrobe in sight, you may – depending on your level of skill – decide instead to purchase a print for your at-home Charleston hit. These small prints are just £10, but immediately transport you to Sussex bohemia. Explore the full collection here.
Medium Room
If you’re after unique – read not mass-produced – works of art but without paying eye-watering prices, the Cotswolds-based Medium Room is well worth exploring. Dealing in vintage pieces, from paintings to prints, founder Natalie sources artworks to sell on at reasonable prices. If you love a piece, do act fast; being vintage, once it’s gone, it’s gone. But that is, of course, half the fun. Explore the full collection here.
TATE
We love the Tate Shop – not least for the fact that it is the place to pick up beautifully made prints from its extensive collection, as well as vintage posters from its historic exhibitions. Its visualisation tools enable you to see what your artwork might look like on the wall – and you can even change the wall colour to ensure that it works with your decorative scheme. Not only one of our towering bastions of cultural enlightenment, but an excellent shop to boot. Explore the full collection here.
By Nancy Alsop
January 2023
