How to buy your first piece of art - Directly from the person who made it
Wimbledon Art Fair | 5 minutes
There’s a particular feeling you get when you walk into a working artist’s studio. The smell of paint, the half-finished canvases stacked against the wall, the brushes and palettes still out on the table. You’re not in a gallery. You’re where the work actually happens - and that changes everything about how you see and feel the art in front of you.
That’s exactly the experience at Wimbledon Art Fair, London’s biggest open-studio show. With 180+ artists opening their studio doors to the public at Wimbledon Art Studios in SW17, the fair offers something that traditional galleries rarely can: the chance to buy original, affordable art directly from the creator, in the space where it was made.
If you’ve never bought a piece of art before, here’s how to approach it.
Start by walking, not deciding
Don’t put pressure on yourself to buy anything in the first hour. Give yourself time to wander through the studios, take in what’s there, and notice what pulls you in. With 180+ studios to explore across two buildings, you’ll want at least a couple of hours - and many visitors come back for a second day.
Trust the feeling of stopping
The simplest rule in art buying is also the most reliable: if you stop in front of a piece and find yourself reluctant to move on, pay attention to that. You don’t need to justify it or understand it. You just need to notice it.
Talk to the artist
At Wimbledon Art Fair, the person who made the work is usually right there in the room with you. You can ask what inspired it, what materials they used, how long they’ve been working in the studio. Most artists love these conversations - it’s one of the reasons they open their studios to the public. You’ll often leave understanding the work differently, and feeling far more connected to it.
Don’t worry about getting the “right” thing
There is no right thing. The art world can feel intimidating from the outside, but an open-studios show the atmosphere is warm, welcoming and entirely without pretension. There’s work here for every taste and every budget - from prints to ceramics to large-scale original paintings and sculpture. If you love it, that’s enough.
A note on the online Mini-Masterpiece Sale
If you’re looking for an accessible entry point into collecting, the online Mini-Masterpiece sale is a wonderful place to start. Each of the 180 artists and makers creates one original work, sold for just £105. The pieces span painting, ceramics, photography, screen print and more - all unique, all one-of-a-kind. Pre-booking your free ticket gives you access to the sale before it opens to the public.
Come and see for yourself
Wimbledon Art Fair runs 14-17 May 2026 at Wimbledon Art Studios, 10 Riverside Yard, SW17 0BB. Entry is free. Pre-book your ticket here.
