Meet Modern ArtBuyer

Bath-based Modern ArtBuyer is a contemporary online art gallery and consultancy representing exceptional painters, skilled printmakers and digital artists. We provide a professional but friendly approach to buying art at pop-up exhibitions and art fairs in London, Bristol and Bath. We also offer complimentary art consultancy to anyone looking for artworks for their home, their business or for a commercial space. Through this service, we help buyers source great artworks, perfectly suited to their taste, budget and environment.

The work we show at the Affordable Art Fairs reflects both the common themes across our portfolio as well as the varied tastes of the fair visitors. Many of our exhibited artists are emerging or mid-career and are constantly producing fresh new work, from limited edition prints and monoprints, through to large paintings and works on paper. Artworks on show lean towards abstract with vibrant colour palettes also evident in many of our artists’ work. We offer works that make the onlooker think and engage with the work, without the piece being too challenging or difficult to live with.

For Battersea Autumn, we’re excited to be bringing three great new artists to the fair as well as a few of our most popular artists. Jonathan Barber is a Scottish painter inspired by the wild Scottish landscape and climate, Caroline Hall is based in Hampshire and her large paintings on aluminium are an abstract representation of a moment frozen in time, while Mark Stopforth is a painter based in Gloucestershire whose works on paper are influenced by a childhood living in the Fens. We’re looking forward to chatting to visitors about the new artists’ work.

I would say trust your instincts and buy a piece that you really love. That way you’ll have a strong connection with the artwork and will always treasure it. There is nothing more wonderful than a collector having a story about how and why they acquired each of their artworks. Don’t overthink every detail and don’t worry about whether it will match your décor. The likelihood is that if you choose both your art and your décor from the heart then they will work harmoniously together. Finally, don’t be frightened to ask questions – we gallerists love to talk about our artists!

The most recent addition to our personal collection is a small gouache on card by Brian Rice which we bought a couple of months ago. It was painted in 1967 and is still in its original, slightly battered frame. It’s very graphic which sits perfectly with our aesthetic. We love it. As for which artwork I couldn’t live without – that’s a hard one as our home is full of art but I think it would probably be our Tapies lithograph ‘Red Arc’, from an edition of 75. The simplicity, the movement, the space is all perfect.

There have been so many. Couples buying their first piece together is always special. One moment that sticks in my mind was seeing a visitor fall in love with a very small work on canvas on our wall. It was a simple, affordable piece with incredible energy. The visitor travelled a lot so didn’t want too much ‘clutter’ around him, but then realized he’d be able to put the small canvas in his bag for his travels. As I handed over the wrapped piece he had tears in his eyes because he’d made such a connection with the painting, which was really moving.