GLASGOW.-Glasgow Art Fair 2008 takes place from Thursday 27 March until Sunday 30 MARCH 2008. Located within its trademark white tented pavilions which dominate George Square in the heart of Glasgow’s city centre, this eagerly anticipated annual art buying extravaganza offers its 16,500 visitors four days of buying, selling and discovering art.

Having firmly established itself as the UK’s most prestigious contemporary art fair outside of London since its inception in 1996, Glasgow Art Fair 2008 will showcase a record 46 selected galleries from Scotland, the rest of the UK, Europe and beyond exhibiting work by over 1000 artists.

Glasgow’s outstanding reputation for the visual arts; the Art Fair’s status as a platform for encouraging and developing Scotland’s art buying market, together with the City’s position as a European shopping and style capital, make Glasgow an ideal platform to present the best of contemporary art for sale and to encourage its residents and visitors alike to invest in new pieces.

With sales figures exceeding £1.2million and individual purchases ranging from as little as £50 to over £80K, occasional art buyers and dedicated collectors alike recognise Glasgow Art Fair as the place to view and discover quality work by established artists and cutting edge talent across a wide range of media.

Of the record number 46 galleries selected to exhibit this year, 11 will be showing at the Fair for the first time. From near and far, new galleries include THE WATERMILL GALLERY, Aberfeldy, NEW BRITISH ARTISTS, Bedford, CAPITAL CULTURE, London, ENVIE D’ART, Paris and ARTLORE, Alice Springs.

Artists’ work available to buy will range from internationally established names to emerging talent working across a whole range of media - exquisite oil painting by the likes of JOAN EARDLEY, SAMUEL JOHN PEPLOE, GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER, JOHN BYRNE, BARBARA RAE and CRAIG MULLHOLLAND; print work from JOAN MIRO, ALASDAIR GRAY, DAMIEN HIRST, TRACY EMIN, BANKSY, DALZIEL + SCULLION and ROSALIND NASHASHIBI as well as ceramics by PABLO PICASSO, photography from Cuban artist ERNESTO FERNANDEZ and sculptural pieces by RUSSELL WEST.

Of the many highlights at this year’s Fair, particular interest may be given to brand new work by internationally acclaimed Scottish artist, KENNY HUNTER. Widely acclaimed for his sculptural work, Hunter recently made a rare departure into the art of printmaking as the result of a 2005 New York artist residency. Following the residency, Hunter collaborated with expert printmakers at Aberdeen’s PEACOCK VISUAL ARTS, to produce bold text based works available to buy as a suite of four or as individual pieces at the Peacock Visual Arts stand at this year’s Fair.

Commenting on his experience of print making with Peacock Visual Arts, Hunter says: ‘The unique aspect of working with Peacock Visual Arts is that they encourage experimentation - this is crucial for artists unfamiliar with expressing themselves through printmaking. I wanted to work with an idea that had to be a print, by that I mean I wanted to work with the special qualities of silkscreen printing as I saw them - graphic, flat and a sense of multiplicity.’

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of Peacock Visual Arts, NINA EGGENS, Marketing Manager, said: ‘Over the past two years our printmakers have been collaborating with a fantastic range of renowned artists including Kenny Hunter, Rosalind Nashashibi and Dalziel + Scullion. Since many of the artists are in actual fact not printmakers themselves but filmmakers, photographers or sculptors, the collaborations have been a rewarding experience for both artists and printmakers. The result is a series of beautiful and very affordable artworks and we are delighted to bring these prints to a wider audience at the Glasgow Art Fair this year.’

She continued: ‘In addition visitors will be able to view the plans for the new centre for the contemporary arts being developed in Aberdeen's Union Terrace Gardens. Already being hailed as one of the most exciting cultural developments in today's Scotland, the iconic design will be a stunning addition to the Scotland's architectural and cultural landscape, bringing world-class talent to the city of Aberdeen and providing the region with an international centre for excellence.’

THE WATERMILL GALLERY, Aberfeldy are looking forward to their first time exhibiting at the Fair. And art buyers will be keen to know that a number of ceramic works by Pablo Picasso will be available to buy from £3,900 – £7,500.

Responding to the gallery’s successful application to exhibit at the Fair, KEVIN RAMAGE, The Watermill Gallery owner said:

‘We are very excited to be selected for Glasgow Art Fair, as it will give the public the chance to see the outstanding range of works by 20th Century artists such as Miro, Hepworth and Heron that we have exhibited at the Watermill Gallery in Aberfeldy.’

‘The highlight of our collection will be five, limited edition Picasso ceramics. These pieces, similar to the ones that were exhibited at the National Museum last year, capture Picasso’s unique talent working with simple lines in three dimensions. We hope others will enjoy them as much as we do!’

PETER IRVINE, Director of Glasgow Art Fair said: ‘Once again we're set for a really great Art Fair. Demand for gallery space is higher than ever and we're delighted that this year we are able to have a truly international array with an especially strong Glasgow and Scottish contingent.’

LIZ CAMERON, Chair of Culture and Sport Glasgow said: ‘Culture and Sport Glasgow and Glasgow City Council are once again delighted to be able to promote the Glasgow Art Fair and to host the event in the city's main civic space, George Square. The Art Fair is an important civic event for Glasgow, and one which has succeeded in attracting a loyal and diverse audience of new and established art buyers from Scotland, the rest of the UK and beyond.’

Cameron added: ‘This year's event promises to build on that success. The Council's support of the event is another great example of its commitment to arts and culture, and to presenting high quality events that impact positively on the city's economy.’

Continuing the Fair’s commitment to the development of new art patrons, Art Fair organisers are working with art industry insiders and practitioners to create a full programme of lively and informative talks and discussions.

Taking place within its dedicated lecture space, 'TALKING ART' will bring together writers, corporate collectors, lecturers and artists to talk about their approaches to buying, interpreting, making and displaying art.

Meanwhile, the popular Glasgow Art Fair informal GUIDED TOURS will offer visitors the opportunity to meet gallery owners and chat about works on show. These free, daily tours leave regularly from the Information Desk at the following times:

Thursday 27 March - 1pm
Friday 28 March - 1pm
Saturday 29 March -1pm & 2pm
Sunday 30 March - 2pm & 3pm.