Some of the best affordable art in the UK is sold by public galleries, in their own shops. Whitechapel, the ICA, Chisenhale, the Hayward, Tate and the Hepworth Wakefield all commission editions from artists. Three of them, Tate, the Hayward and Chisenhale, say the money supports their programmes. I went through eighteen gallery and museum shops, five print publishers, Saatchi Art and Avant Arte. After that, I picked fifteen pieces between £10 and £450.
Most are limited editions by British artists, made in a fixed number of copies. In addition, four are open-edition prints and posters at £35 or less, and one is an original oil painting. Before the picks, there is a short guide to what an edition number tells you. It is the main difference between a print worth keeping and a poster.
I checked every price, edition and stock level at the seller's own page on 12 October 2026. Gallery editions sell out, and some shops raise the price as an edition sells. Check the page before you buy.
Section 01 / The money
What counts as affordable art in the UK
The Affordable Art Fair goes up to £10,000. This guide stops at £500.
The Affordable Art Fair has run in Battersea Park since October 1999. Today its London fairs sell work "from £100". However, its exhibitor rules set the London price ceiling at £10,000, so "affordable" there covers a lot of ground. Its founder, Will Ramsay, started out in 1996 with a warehouse gallery selling work "priced between £50 – £2,500".
For affordable art in the UK, I have set the line much lower, at £500. That is where the fair itself draws a line for its "Finds Under £500" displays. It is also where gallery editions cluster, since most of these shops price them between £100 and £500. Below £50 you are mostly buying open-edition posters and prints, and those come first.
This year, the autumn fair runs in Battersea Park from 14 to 18 October 2026. As usual, the private view comes first, on the evening of the 14th. In the same week, Frieze London opens in Regent's Park, at the other end of the market. My Frieze London guide also covers tickets, stands and the free art nearby. For originals and editions above £500, my Soho Home art feature covers a collection priced from £295 to £10,000.
Section 02 / Before you buy
Open edition, limited edition or original
The edition number on a print tells you how many exist, and that decides most of the price.
An open edition keeps being printed for as long as people buy it, with no fixed number. For example, exhibition posters and most shop prints work this way. They are usually unsigned, and they are the cheapest way to get a good image on a wall.
A limited edition is a fixed number of copies, usually signed and numbered by the artist. Tate's glossary entry on editions explains it: "An edition of twenty-five will be numbered 1/25, 2/25, etc."
So a print marked 12/50 is the twelfth of fifty. Some editions also have one or more artist's proofs, marked AP, on top of the main run.
Next, the size of the run matters. The Fine Art Trade Guild sets a maximum edition of 1,950 for its print standard. It also recommends staying below 850. By comparison, every limited edition in this guide is 150 or fewer. Even so, the Guild adds that a limited edition "is no guarantee of value". Buy a print because you want to look at it.
The method is the other thing to check. A printer makes a screenprint, etching or lithograph by hand, one colour at a time. For that reason, the Guild calls these artists' prints, or original prints. A giclée, or digital pigment print, is a high-quality inkjet print, usually from a painting or a photograph. Both can be good, but a hand-pulled screenprint at the same price involves far more handwork.
An original is the only one of its kind, like a painting or drawing. Originals by UK artists start well under £500 on sites such as Saatchi Art, and I have included one below.
At a glanceFifteen pieces of affordable art at a glance
Section 03 / Under £50
Affordable art under £50
Four open-edition prints and posters, and one signed edition at exactly £50.
David Hockney, A Year in Normandie exhibition poster, 2026, open edition, image courtesy of the Serpentine.
David Hockney, A Year in Normandie exhibition poster
For someone who wants a Hockney on the wall and is happy that it is a poster.
The Serpentine sells two poster designs for its 2026 Hockney exhibition, each showing a detail of one of the works in the show. One is Jack Ransome Resting on an Orange and White Checkered Tablecloth, and the other is Thomas Mupfupi Resting on a Pink and White Checkered Tablecloth. Both are A1, which is about 84 by 59cm, or roughly four sheets of A3.
In fact, the frame costs more than the poster. It is an open, unsigned poster, and a frame for an A1 sheet will cost more than the £10 poster. Delivery is added at checkout.
£10 at the Serpentine shop
Cross Section, A3 giclée art print of the Barbican Estate, open edition, image courtesy of the Barbican Shop.
Barbican Cross Section A3 print
For someone who lives in, works near or simply loves the Barbican Estate.
This is a perspective section of the Barbican, a drawing of the building sliced open with the cut face shown in three dimensions. Then the Barbican Shop prints it as an A3 giclée with UV inks on art paper. I covered what the drawing shows, and how to frame an A3, on my Barbican Cross Section print page.
A shop print, not an edition. It is open, unnumbered and unsigned. UK delivery is free only once your basket reaches £75.
£12 at the Barbican Shop
Joe Lycett, Everything Is F*cked, A4 digital print, open edition, image courtesy of Joe Lycett.
Joe Lycett, Everything Is F*cked A4 print
For a kitchen, a downstairs loo or anyone having a week.
Rather than through a gallery, the comedian sells this A4 print through his own shop. Specifically, it is a digital print on 350gsm coated paper, and it arrives backed with 1mm card in a compostable bag. The joke is in the lettering, and my Joe Lycett print page has the full story.
The swearing. The shop prints the title uncensored, so think about where it will hang. It is also an open, unsigned edition.
£25 at joelycett.com
Stiven Skyrah, Soapy Drama, 2025, giclée with micro glitter, signed open edition, image courtesy of the artist.
Stiven Skyrah, Soapy Drama (Eastbenders), 2025
For an EastEnders fan who wants to see more queer stories on screen.
Stiven Skyrah, who runs CoolCuration, made this print as a play on the EastEnders titles, with the word "Eastbenders" set over a satellite view of east London and the Thames. He also describes it as a reflection on how rarely soaps show queer life as ordinary. It is a giclée on Hahnemühle German Etching paper, 16.1 by 23cm, so a little smaller than a sheet of A4. Each one is hand finished with micro glitter, then signed and numbered.
Small and unframed. It is an open edition, so there is no fixed number, and it arrives without a frame. My Soapy Drama print page also has the details.
£35 at stivenskyrah.com
Foka Wolf, Impossible Maze, 2023, A3 digital print with hand-drawn UV text, edition of 50, image courtesy of the artist and Ikon Gallery.
Foka Wolf, Impossible Maze, 2023
For someone who wants a signed, numbered print without spending more than £50.
Ikon in Birmingham made this edition for its 2023 Foka Wolf exhibition. It is an A3 digital print, and the phrase "Who cares?" is drawn on by hand in UV ink. Also, there are 50, each signed and numbered.
Delivery. Ikon works out postage at checkout from the size and weight, and aims to deliver within three to five working days.
£50 at Ikon Gallery
Section 04 / £50 to £150
Signed editions from £80 to £150
Five editions of 75 to 150 copies, from £80 to £150.
Quentin Blake, Courage, 2026, four-layer screenprint, edition of 150, image courtesy of the artist and Print Club London.
Quentin Blake, Courage, 2026
For anyone who grew up on his drawings, or who supports refugee charities.
Quentin Blake made Courage for Refugee Week 2026 with the charity Counterpoints Arts. Then Print Club London pulled it as a four-layer screenprint on G.F. Smith paper, at 59.4 by 42cm, which is A2. In total there are 150, each numbered in the bottom right corner.
The signature is printed. Print Club London says Blake's signature is part of the image rather than signed by hand, so this is not a hand-signed print. UK delivery is £9.50 unframed, and Print Club London will frame it for £114 to £176, depending on the style.
£90 at Print Club London
Ivor Cutler, This Book Belongs To..., 2018, print on Somerset photosatin, edition of 100, image courtesy of the Ivor Cutler Estate and Goldsmiths CCA.
Ivor Cutler, This Book Belongs To..., 2018
For someone who knows his songs and poems by heart.
Goldsmiths CCA, the Centre for Contemporary Art at Goldsmiths in south-east London, published this print in 2018, courtesy of the Ivor Cutler estate. It is printed on Somerset photosatin paper, 36 by 29cm, in a numbered edition of 100. All proceeds from its editions go to the gallery's programme.
Numbered, not signed. Cutler died in 2006, so the print carries a number and no signature. On top of that, UK postage is £10.
£80 at Goldsmiths CCA
Peter Saville, Looks Like You've Reached the End (Found), lithographic print, edition of 100, image courtesy of the artist and the ICA.
Peter Saville, Looks Like You've Reached the End (Found)
For someone with a shelf of Factory Records sleeves.
Peter Saville, born in Manchester in 1955, first made his name designing record sleeves for Factory Records. His ICA edition is a lithographic print at 59 by 84cm, which is A1, in an edition of 100. Each one also comes with a signed certificate.
Delivery adds almost a third. The ICA charges £30 to deliver an edition in the UK, so this comes to £130 at your door unless you collect it from the Mall.
£100 at the ICA
Louis Wain, Ginger Cat, 1931/2026, risograph, edition of 100, image courtesy of Studio Voltaire and House of Voltaire.
Louis Wain, Ginger Cat, 1931/2026
For anyone whose phone is mostly photos of their cat.
House of Voltaire, the shop that funds the Studio Voltaire gallery in Clapham, has printed a 1931 Louis Wain cat drawing as a risograph. In short, a risograph prints one ink colour at a time, a little like a screenprint, and gives a slightly grainy finish. Like the Barbican print, it is A3, and it comes in an edition of 100 with a certificate of authenticity.
A reprint of an old drawing. Wain died in 1939, so this is a new print of his drawing, not something he made or signed. Also, the UK delivery charge only appears at checkout.
£120 at House of Voltaire
Linder, Soul Meets Soul on Lovers' Lips, Print Edition #2, giclée, edition of 75, image courtesy of the artist and the Southbank Centre.
Linder, Soul Meets Soul on Lovers' Lips, Print Edition #2
For someone who saw her Hayward show, or wishes they had.
The Hayward Gallery made this second print edition for Linder's exhibition Danger Came Smiling. It is a giclée on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper, 28 by 35cm, and comes in a presentation box. There are 75, each signed, and the Southbank Centre shop says every purchase supports the Hayward.
One each, and a small sheet. Even so, the shop limits it to one per customer. At 28 by 35cm it is not much bigger than A4, so it suits a shelf or a gallery wall better than a big empty space.
£150 at the Southbank Centre shop
"All sales of our Limited Editions go towards our programme."Serpentine, on every limited edition it sells
Section 05 / £150 to £500
Editions and an original from £175 to £450
Editions of 40 to 99 copies, and one original oil painting.
Lisa Milroy, Espadrilles, 2021, digital print, edition of 60, image courtesy of the artist and Chisenhale Gallery.
Lisa Milroy, Espadrilles, 2021
For someone who likes paintings of everyday things, set out in rows.
Lisa Milroy lives and works in London. Above all, she is known for paintings of everyday objects, often repeated across a canvas. Her Chisenhale edition is a digital print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper, 40 by 38cm, in an edition of 60. Chisenhale is a non-profit gallery in east London, and its Friends pay £157.50 instead.
Postage is not listed. Chisenhale does not publish a delivery charge, so check the total at checkout or collect it from the gallery in Bow.
£175 at Chisenhale Gallery
Ryan Mosley, History, 2024, single-colour screenprint, edition of 40, image courtesy of the artist and Alzheimer's Research UK.
Ryan Mosley, History, 2024
For someone touched by dementia, or anyone who wants their art to fund research.
Alzheimer's Research UK sells this edition by the painter Ryan Mosley in its own shop. It is a single-colour screenprint, pulled by hand on 300gsm paper at A3, in a numbered edition of 40. For more detail, my Ryan Mosley print page covers the charity edition in full.
The extra £10. The charity charges £10 for tracked delivery on this print, so it costs £210 delivered.
£200 at Alzheimer's Research UK
Clare Woods, Bobby Diamond, 2012, lithograph, edition of 99, image courtesy of the artist and The Hepworth Wakefield.
Clare Woods, Bobby Diamond, 2012
For someone with a large wall to fill.
The Hepworth Wakefield published this lithograph by the British painter Clare Woods. It was printed from a stone and an aluminium plate, at 68.7 by 51.2cm. In total there are 99, each signed and numbered.
The delivery charge. UPS delivery is £35, which takes it to £310. The gallery also offers framing through the English Framing Co. in West Yorkshire.
£275 at The Hepworth Wakefield
Guy Pickford, Restorative Energy, 2024, oil on wood, original, image courtesy of the artist and Saatchi Art.
Guy Pickford, Restorative Energy, 2024
For someone who wants the only one, not one of fifty.
In contrast to every other pick here, this is an original, an oil painting on wood. Guy Pickford is a UK painter who sells through Saatchi Art. At 59 by 42cm it is almost exactly A2. Better still, it arrives framed and ready to hang, and the price includes shipping.
Returns cost you. Admittedly, Saatchi Art gives UK buyers 14 days to return an original. Unless it arrives damaged, though, the refund is the price less a 20% processing fee, paid in US dollars. So only buy it if you are sure from the photographs.
£279 at Saatchi Art
Mark Wallinger, The White Horse, 2007/2024, digital pigment print, edition of 50, image courtesy of the artist and Tate.
Mark Wallinger, The White Horse, 2007/2024
For someone who wants a signed print by a major British artist.
For context, Mark Wallinger won the Turner Prize in 2007. His Tate edition is a digital pigment print on Somerset Photo paper, 50 by 70cm, in an edition of 50, each signed and numbered on the front. When I checked, Tate still had eight numbers for sale.
Few left, and delivery unlisted. With eight of 50 left, this is the pick most likely to sell out before you decide. Tate also does not list a UK delivery charge for editions, so check the total at checkout. On the plus side, Tate belongs to the Own Art scheme, covered below, and its Members get 10% off.
£450 at Tate
Section 06 / Where to buy
Where to buy affordable art in the UK
Gallery shops first, then print publishers, then the big online sites.
Public gallery shops
These are the places I would start for affordable art in the UK. That is because the money goes back into exhibitions you can usually see for free. In addition, most of them commission the editions from the artists they show. When I checked, these were the shops with the most editions at £500 or under.
| Gallery shop | Editions at £500 or under | UK delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Whitechapel Gallery | About 70, from £50 | £30 |
| Camden Art Centre | About 70, from £40 | By size and weight |
| ICA | About 50, from £30 | £30 |
| Royal Academy | 43, from £195 | Free over £50 |
| South London Gallery | 33 items, from £15 | Not listed |
| The Hepworth Wakefield | 20, from £250 | £35 |
| Tate | 19, from £220 | Not listed for editions |
| Serpentine | 11, from £80 | By size and weight |
Ikon in Birmingham, Goldsmiths CCA, Chisenhale, House of Voltaire, Kettle's Yard and the V&A also sell editions under £500. Camden Art Centre, South London Gallery and House of Voltaire all raise prices as an edition sells out. So if you like something early in a run, buy it then.
Print publishers and galleries
Print Club London prints its own screenprints in Dalston. In fact, half of the 300 prints I looked at cost £250 or less. Similarly, Jealous Gallery in Shoreditch publishes screenprints, risographs and giclées, with free UK delivery over £100. Partnership Editions sells originals and editions by more than 80 emerging artists, from £100, with £15 UK delivery unframed. Meanwhile Counter Editions in Margate works with Tracey Emin, Chris Ofili and Rachel Whiteread. However, only four of its editions on sale cost £500 or less.
Saatchi Art and Avant Arte
Saatchi Art lists originals by UK artists. The first page of its UK paintings ran from £144 to £499 when I checked. Just remember the return terms on pick 14. However, Saatchi Art's open-edition prints cannot be returned at all.
Avant Arte works with Grayson Perry and Anish Kapoor, but very little of it fits this budget. Also, it ships from the Netherlands, and a UK order adds 5% import tax plus delivery at checkout. As a result, only one print in stock came in under £500 delivered: Trudy Benson's Red Sky, at £470.04. Its big releases also often go to a draw, which picks buyers at random. So entering does not mean you get a print. For example, the draw for its four Roy Lichtenstein prints, at £521 each, closes on 29 October 2026.
Charity drops and what is already on CoolCuration
Charity print sales can put big names within reach, too. Hospital Rooms sold A2 prints by Grayson Perry and Celia Paul at £100 each in September. Since then, my Hospital Rooms poster sale post covers how its drops work. I also keep pages on single prints that were still in stock when I checked. These include Anthony Burrill's signed You & Me prints from £70, Steven Claydon's London Pixel aluminium edition from £250. There is also Fergus Greer's Leigh Bowery print at Tate for £320, with three left.
Paying in instalments with Own Art
Own Art is an interest-free loan scheme. Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland support it. It runs through participating galleries. It covers purchases from £250, repaid over 10 months at 0% APR. For instance, Tate, the Royal Academy, Whitechapel, Camden Art Centre, South London Gallery and Jealous all mention it on their shops. Own Art's gallery finder also lists the rest.
Representative example: Mark Wallinger's £450 print, paid over 10 months at £45 a month. Total amount of credit £450, 0% APR representative, total amount payable £450.
Still, it is borrowing, so only use it if you can afford all ten payments. Indeed, Own Art warns that missed payments bring fixed late fees and harm your credit file. It is open to permanent UK residents over 18, subject to status. Novuna Consumer Finance, a trading style of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, provides the credit. Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 704348. Creative Sector Services CIC acts as the credit broker, not the lender. CoolCuration is not a credit broker and does not arrange Own Art loans. For free, impartial help with borrowing, see MoneyHelper's guide to credit.
Section 07 / Framing
What framing costs
A frame can cost more than the print, so price it before you buy.
Framing is where an affordable print stops being cheap. For example, Print Club London quoted £74 to £176 to frame its A2 and square prints when I checked. Likewise, Jealous Gallery charges £115 to £185 for a 50 by 50cm frame. The price depends on the mount, and on glass or Perspex. Counter Editions no longer frames at all, and points buyers to a local framer instead.
The cheapest route is a print in a standard size, such as A3, A2 or 50 by 70cm. That is because shops sell ready-made frames in those sizes. For example, of the picks above, the Barbican print, Foka Wolf, Louis Wain and Ryan Mosley are A3. Meanwhile Quentin Blake's Courage is A2 and Mark Wallinger's The White Horse is 50 by 70cm. An odd size such as 40 by 38cm, on the other hand, needs a custom frame or mount.
In addition, near a window, ask for glazing that filters UV light. Inks fade in direct sun.
FAQs about affordable art in the UK
What counts as affordable art?
There is no fixed figure for affordable art in the UK. For example, the Affordable Art Fair's London fairs sell work from £100 up to a £10,000 ceiling. This guide stops at £500. Most public gallery editions cost less than that, and the fair runs "Finds Under £500" displays.
Where can I buy affordable art in the UK?
For affordable art in the UK, start with public gallery shops, such as Whitechapel, Camden Art Centre, the ICA, Tate and the Hepworth Wakefield. Most of them sell signed editions by artists they have shown, mostly between £100 and £500. After that, try Print Club London, Jealous and Partnership Editions, or Saatchi Art for originals.
Is it better to buy prints or originals?
An original is the only one. By contrast, a limited edition gives you the same image for less, because there are more copies. Under £500, then, you get far bigger names with an edition. For instance, £450 buys a signed Mark Wallinger edition at Tate. In comparison, £279 buys an original oil by a UK painter on Saatchi Art.
What does 12/50 mean on a print?
It means the print is number 12 in an edition of 50, and only 50 were made. Similarly, AP means an artist's proof, a small number of extra prints outside the main run.
How do I frame art affordably?
Buy prints in standard sizes, such as A3, A2 or 50 by 70cm, and use a ready-made frame. Custom framing for a 50 by 50cm print cost £115 to £185 at Jealous Gallery on 12 October 2026.
Can I pay for art in instalments?
Yes, at galleries in the Own Art scheme, which spreads purchases from £250 over 10 months at 0% APR. It is a loan from Novuna Consumer Finance, subject to status. Missed payments bring late fees. So only use it if you can afford the repayments.
More things like this:
- National Art Pass - free or half-price entry to museums and shows, to see more art before you buy.
- Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2026 review - the yearly show where you can buy most of the art on the walls.
- Gifts for artists - my collection of presents for people who make art rather than buy it.
- theprintspace discount code - half off a first order at the London print lab, for your own photos or artwork.
- Penpot - the free, open-source design app, for making your own prints and posters.
Disclaimer. Prices, edition numbers and stock change, and gallery editions can sell out within days. Check the seller's page before you buy. Delivery charges are the shops' own. Own Art is credit, subject to status, and you should only borrow what you can afford to repay. Cover photograph: a screen print bench and drying rack at the Squeegee & Ink studio, by Scrud123, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped, blurred and with text added.
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