In 1996 Will Ramsay, opened Will?s Art Warehouse in London to bridge the public?s increasing interest in contemporary art and the London gallery scene. The gallery was designed to make people feel comfortable about buying art, however little they knew about it. In October 1999, he launched the first Affordable Art Fair, with 94 galleries representing a range of contemporary artwork all for under £2,500.
Over 10,000 visitors attended the first fair. In 2002, a second London Fair ? the Spring Collection ? was launched, together with an art prize, The Public Eye. This was the first contemporary art prize to be voted for solely by the public. The Affordable Art Fair now occurs bi-annually in London, annually in Bristol and related events take place in New York, San Francisco, Melbourne and Sydney. 2004 saw attendance at the London Fairs alone of over 37,000 and sales of £6.7m.
The Spring Collection 2005 takes place from 17-20 March in Battersea Park, London. t: 020 7371 8787; w: http://www.affordableartfair.co.uk The work pictured above will be available there.