The Glasgow Art Fair
Pete Irvine
The Glasgow Art Fair–ain’t it great! Eleven years down the line, it’s still the only non-metropolitan art fair in the UK that counts. It still meets its original objectives. More people exposed to art, browsing and buying pictures for their homes and offices; more galleries wanting to come every year; more art sold. It seems like it’s on an unstoppable roll. But there is a problem: without a deliberate policy and a tight selection procedure the tendency perhaps of art fairs is to go down-market. And in the UK there has been a recent proliferation of what might generically be termed "affordable arts fairs." We want to rise above all that.
Ten years ago the Glasgow Art Fair was created to stimulate the commerce of the art business in Scotland, Glasgow in particular, and to build on Glasgow’s growing reputation as a cultural centre, in the wake of its tenure as European City of Culture. There are those who say that not much was left behind after the City of Culture year, but the Royal Concert Hall and the Gallery of Modern Art are still very much with us and it was the success of GOMA that led Glasgow’s controversial Head of Museums and Galleries, Julian Spalding, to suggest that it might be an idea to hold an Art Fair in Scotland. A summer was spent compiling a feasibility report talking to galleries and collectors and art fairs throughout the UK and Europe. Needless to say, the conclusion was that an art fair in Scotland should be in Glasgow and, although it would be difficult, we should try to locate it in the municipal and cultural heart of the city, George Square. From that first morning, when there was a queue around the block to see a vast range of work from galleries from all over the UK, especially Glasgow and London, we knew we’d made the right decision and had created a very good thing.
Tens of thousands of people have been through our tented pavilions since then (and we’ve tried to improve the exhibition space year to year) and many galleries are still with us. On the way we also lost some of our top-end galleries and what starts as a quiet departure can become a rush to the exit. While there’s no shortage of mainstream galleries who want to join us, we have taken a very firm position this year about rebuilding our constituency of quality galleries representing significant artists. Glasgow Art Fair has always been a pleasure to participate in, with a real buzz; a friendly public conversant in art. We’ve targeted galleries to bring them back to the fold and consequently believe we have the best list we’ve had for years. As visual arts continue to flourish, Glasgow’s reputation as a centre of style and excellence and a provenance of creativity is beyond doubt. It’s a good time to be here.
The Glasgow Art Fair takes place this year from April 6th to 9th, and brings together 43 selected galleries from throughout the UK providing the finest opportunity to experience a wide range of contemporary art. Representing work from over 1000 artists and attracting collectors, occasional buyers and art enthusiasts the Glasgow Art Fair is the best place to buy, sell and discover art in Scotland.
