Bristol Art Lovers Put City in the Top Ten Cities for Art Collecting

Bristol is well known for art created on walls, side streets and across buildings with spray paint, but the city has also made the top ten list for art buyers in the UK.

According to Artfinder, collectors in the city love landscapes of the sea and sky making up to 24 per cent of our painting purchases. In fact, paintings are the most popular pieces to collect, making up 67 per cent of the city’s artistic purchases.

We do have some way to go, only making it into ninth place just behind London. Cambridge took the top spot for art collecting followed by Brighton in second place and Southampton in third.

“London is always hailed as the art capital of the UK, but that isn’t necessarily reflected in the art buying habits of ordinary people,” says Artfinder Spokesperson Jonas Almgren.

“Our data shows that the whole of the UK is busy buying original art for their homes, but also that people in smaller, artier cities like Bristol are buying more than Londoners.”

“We are now seeing a new generation and a new kind of art buyer emerging, our audience are typically younger than those who buy from galleries, and they don’t necessarily classify themselves as ‘collectors’ – they’re not buying for investment, they’re buying because they want something handmade by a real person on their wall, something no-one else has got – not a reproduction poster.”