Art lovers take advantage of credit crunch deals

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12 April 2012

Thousands of art lovers swarmed to east London to pick up works from top international artists at credit crunch prices.

Works by 70 well-known artists were on offer at a fraction of market prices at the Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair, in the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, yesterday.

Prints by pop artist Sir Peter Blake - worth around £400 but priced at £30 - sold out in an hour.

Fashion artist Natasha Law - sister of actor Jude - offered a range of limited edition prints for £40 each.

Alternatively, buyers really feeling the pinch could pick up a screen-printed sick bag, giant plaster foot or chunks of studio floor - all for little more than the average art gallery entrance fee.

Curator Karen Ashton, 39, said: "The idea was to bring the artwork directly to the public and inject frivolity back into art. The art scene in London is really fun, but the humour has evaporated because of all the auction houses and art galleries.

"Here artists have the chance to relax and enjoy themselves because they know they are not showing to a mass audience and there will be no New York Times critic waiting to rip them apart."

Ms Ashton came up with the idea of the car boot sale in 2004 after being inspired by Young British Artist events such as Fete Worse Than Death, in Hoxton Square, which featured Damien Hirst playing bat the rat and Gavin Turk's Arty Cultural Show.

The event was designed to give artists the chance to let their imagination run wild.

Yesterday, quirky craft stalls selling 500-sq-mile pieces of ocean in badge form', or relieving customers of their emotional baggage for a token storage fee, sat alongside more traditional paintings and sculptures.

The idea has proved popular with the public. Two years ago, around 3,000 visitors turned up to the sale to search for bargains; yesterday, it attracted more than 6,000.

Sir Peter, who created the Sgt Pepper Beatles cover, said: "We do it because it's such a fun day and it's a fantastic opportunity to make special editions of artworks that people can afford."

Conceptual artist Gavin Turk, 42, sold large black and white "footprint" prints for £200 each - the most expensive artworks on offer.

He said: "It is so important to break down the barriers between the gallery space, the art and the audiences. Everyone gets something out of it.

"It is very different from seeing work in galleries. It's a much more involving process and the public gets the chance to buy work they might not otherwise be able to afford."

ART FOR A SONG

£1 - a look at the "world's smallest piece of art"

£1.50 - a swine flu cupcake

£4 - ox heart bun from St John restaurant

£5 - Sir Peter Blake's signature

£10 - Bob and Roberta Smith slogan "Make Your Own Art Don't Expect Me To Do It"