Working on that gallery wall?
As someone with an appreciation for art (read: I have a health sprinkling of artists and collections on my Insta feed, @gettymuseum is a favourite) I have to confess to being a bit scared of art galleries.
A stroll around the National Gallery or RHA every few months is a pleasure, but I find the kind of galleries where you can actually buy the art off-putting. The small space, the bright lights, the breakable valuables, the overly watchful assistants… I find myself so consumed by the fear that I’ll break something or be asked to buy something that I don’t take in any of the actual artworks.
So, I’m guessing that it’s someone who has a similar pit of dread in their stomach who has some up with the – quite frankly genius – idea of fusing an art gallery with a car boot sale.
‘In sickness, in health’ by Monika Crowley
The ‘Car Boot Art Mart’ takes place at Russborough House in Co Wicklow, itself home to a stunning fine art collection, on Sunday, September 8.
Running from 11am-3pm, the fair will feature works by some of the country’s top contemporary artists including Monika Crowley (we love her retro food-themed prints) Margaret Corcoran, Blasie Smith, and PJ Lynch – children’s laureate and the man who illustrated Ryan Tubridy’s kids’ book, Patrick and the President. Also there will be Una Sealy and Gabhann Dunne, who were the judges on RTÉ’s Painting The Nation.
As well as being in a more casual environment, the fair aims to make art more accessible by having smaller works on sale, and having artists producing sketches on site for a fraction of what their usual works would cost.
If even that is beyond your budget you can still enjoy the artists’ car boot displays (there’s a competition for the best one) and workshops from the National Print Museum. And there will also be food and Prosecco available on site to toast your new purchase with.
Tickets cost €10 and can be purchased here.
