Notes on...London galleries

Everybody knows that the London art scene is thriving, and so of course the big international commercial galleries have set up here: Gagosian, David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth and Pace. This global razzmatazz puts pressure on the city’s home-grown independent galleries — especially those in Cork Street in Mayfair. Cork Street has been at the heart of London’s art scene for more than 90 years, and helped launch some of the most famous artists of modern times. It is now closing for redevelopment by international landlords, so let’s hope they appreciate the street’s cultural importance and welcome the galleries back.

But we don’t have to lament too long for Cork Street — London’s gallery sector is always in flux. While the top end thrives on international reputation and big-name shows, less famous, more nimble galleries are always ready to rush in to fill any smaller gaps. There are more and more opportunities to promote the work of lesser-known artists. New galleries have started to bloom in clusters around the capital, particularly in up and coming areas such as Peckham and Deptford. Specialist dealers now collaborate to tie in with bigger auctions and art fairs, which makes them more appealing.

The ‘pop-up’ fad, which has produced so many new restaurants and bars, has gripped the art market, too. Temporary gallery spaces are for rent all over London, which makes perfect sense for small operations who want to promote new artists without committing financially to the long term.

For the punter, it can take some effort to find out about these little places. You can’t just peruse an auction catalogue, check out pictures online, or shuffle your way around an art fair once a year. But once you’ve found your way into the pop-up world, the process of buying art can be infinitely more rewarding. You can spend longer looking at a piece closely, uncrushed and uncrowded, before you make a decision to buy.

Read art blogs to find out what’s coming up: websites like ArtLyst will give more comprehensive listings than magazines and news sites, which tend to concentrate on the better-known galleries.

Even the smaller galleries can be daunting for the uninitiated — an empty, silent space, a desk at one end, no prices on the walls — but don’t be embarrassed to ask for a list in order to get some inkling about whether or not you’d have to remortgage your house to pay for a work. Many small galleries work with the Own Art scheme, which allows you to pay in easy installments for the object of your desire.

If you like what you see, ask questions, and sign up to the gallery’s mailing list. You will find that having discovered an artist or a style all by yourself is its own reward. And you never know, the art you buy may even prove to be a good investment.