Art Market
Tabish Khan
Exterior view of TJ Boutling, London. Courtesy of TJ Boulting.
Although Mayfair is London’s most established commercial gallery area, it is far from the only art center in the British capital. Medium-sized galleries have sprung up in recent years in areas from Shoreditch to Southwark, but none like Fitzrovia, which is just north-east of Oxford Circus.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began to ease, galleries have flocked to the Gentile district in double digits, bolstering the area’s credentials as part of London’s commercial gallery scene, where established tastemakers meet emerging trendsetters.
Fitzrovia is known for having a mix of residential properties and independent businesses, alongside quieter streets that belie its central London location. It emerged as a creative hub in the early 1900s: notable residents and visitors included Augustus John, Virginia Woolf and George Orwell.
“Fitzrovia has always had an air of excitement, creativity and opportunity,” said gallerist Rebecca Hossack, who opened her own gallery in the area in 1987. “When I came to Fitzrovia in the 80s, almost all the 19th century buildings were occupied by poets and writers, and today you can still find many artists and creators living here.”
The gallery admits it has “become more vibrant” since then, a sentiment shared by Nick Woolff, who moved to his Woolff Gallery premises from Shoreditch, East London, in 2007. “It’s always been a creative area with independent shops and independent shops. restaurants and businesses, [and] It’s also an accessible area of central London,” he told Artsy.
Exterior view of the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in London. Courtesy of Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery.
And since the COVID-19 pandemic began to ease, several galleries have been placed around the store. Alice Amati moved into the same space in June 2023. “Fitzrovia has always been my first choice when I was looking at potential places to open a gallery,” he said. “It’s very central but still has a neighborhood feel, with lots of shops, cafes and independent businesses.”
This location was also crucial for Niru Ratnam Gallery, which moved from Soho in January 2023. “I was interested in the building designed by the early English modernist Joseph Emberton [designer of the iconic HMV store on Oxford Street] I’ve been very fond of Fitzrovia as an area for a long time and for many years,” said gallerist Niru Ratnam. “There are a lot of interesting galleries that have opened here, which tend to be a bit younger and less blue-chip than Mayfair, but it’s only a 10-minute walk from the latter area.”
Hannah Watson, director of TJ Boulting, who moved from Shoreditch in 2012, noted how the area has “maintained an out-of-the-way but central feel, and there’s still a lot to discover here”.
Other galleries like Edel Assanti have doubled down on the area. The gallery set up shop in Fitzrovia in 2015 and moved to a larger space nearby seven years later. “Fitzrovia has a lot of buildings with industrial architecture that we love,” said gallery co-founder Jeremy Epstein. “Many of our artist practices have large-scale facilities, so when we moved again in 2022, we decided to significantly expand our footprint and stay in the area rather than move elsewhere.”
Exterior view of Niru Ratnam, London. Photo by Damian Griffiths. Courtesy of Niru Ratnam.
As a result of the movement in the area, a community-driven approach has emerged between the galleries. “It’s very collegial and supportive,” said George Marsh, co-founder and director of Brooke Benington, which opened in Fitzrovia in October 2022. “A lot of us have known each other for years and we’ve helped each other and seen each other grow and develop, so it’s great that we’re all around each other now. And of course, a lot of new relationships are forming because of our proximity.”
The gallery is mindful of directing visitors to other galleries in the area, and the local gallery collective has even produced a physical map of Fitzrovia’s galleries. “We meet regularly to talk about how we can help each other,” Marsh added.
Local events have helped strengthen these ties. Hossack is patron and director of the free Fitzrovia Arts Festival, which “celebrates Fitzrovia’s rich artistic culture by featuring a rich program of talented internationally acclaimed artists, performers and writers”. This year will be the eighth edition. “It’s a really remarkable event that brings together the whole Fitzrovia community,” said Hossack James Ryan, who opened the Grove Gallery in 2020 and is its CEO. He admitted that the festival “brings the galleries together”, driven by “art trips where customers can take part in one day to explore new galleries in the area”.
Other events, such as London Gallery Weekend – an annual three-day festival where each day focuses on a different area of the city – act as a “huge advantage” for visitors to move between galleries, said Rosenfeld’s Ian Rosenfeld, who noted. “The area has really blossomed [and]… people really like being around”.
Exterior view of Alice Amati, London. Photo by Tom Carter. By Alice Amati.
In fact, Edel Assanti’s Epstein, co-founder of the gallery weekend, points out that the variety of exhibitions in the surrounding galleries is a big draw for visitors. “Visitors can easily lose a whole day in the area, experiencing the variety of shows on offer at any given time,” he said.
The Ab-Anbar Gallery, which moved to the area in September 2023, is built on this diversity of art. “We saw an opportunity to contrast the typical gallery offerings found in Fitzrovia by presenting a program with a strong focus on diasporic voices and intersectional identities.” said Salman Matinfar, the gallery’s founding director. “We wanted to create a space to celebrate diverse art and artists that have not necessarily had the opportunity to see in the West, thus enriching the area.”
Cost was another important factor for galleries choosing Fitzrovia as their home. Director Maria Valeria Biondo Des Bains opened her gallery in Fitzrovia, east London, in June 2023 and, she says, “has become so fashionable that the prices are comparable to Central London.
“It made central London more attractive because it’s easier for people from all over the city to get to,” he told Artsy.
The workplace moved to the area after two spaces across East London and Marylebone. “It has a real energy, and in that post-Covid era the lease negotiations were pretty cheap,” said gallery founder Miles Thurlow.
Exterior view of the workplace, London. Photo by Tom Carter. By Workplace, UK.
Whether the influx of galleries is a long-term trend, only time will tell. Some are adamant that it will remain an art center. Hossack is bullish. “Fitzrovia has always had a very bohemian vibe…[it’s] a place for artists and creators to flourish,” he told Artsy. “I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
Grove Gallery’s Ryan agrees. “Fitzrovia will always be attractive to galleries as it has a creative hub that attracts clients,” he said. Kate Kirby, associate director of Addis Fine Art, who has just completed eight years in Fitzrovia, has a similar view. “London is constantly changing, and so are our artists’ ambitions and networks,” he said. “Our commitment is always to our artists and audiences, rather than particular areas or properties, but we certainly intend to continue to expand our network here in Fitzrovia.”
But other galleries warn that the area is still at risk — like London as a whole — of an often underdeveloped rental market. “It’s very difficult for me to speculate, especially with the current political climate,” said Workplace’s Thurlow. “Eventually, owners raise prices as galleries gather and demand increases, and then as rents go up, galleries that aren’t there find somewhere else and the process repeats itself. There is a lot in the area and I really like being here, but we remain pragmatic.’
Some galleries have left the area, such as Alison Jacques and Pilar Corrias who went to Mayfair; and Castor, a Grade 2 listed church in Islington, north London, which recently left the site. “[It] It was a challenge I couldn’t turn down, with the potential to create a truly unique and unique gallery destination in London,” said Andy Wicks, director of Castor. Looking back over two decades in the art world, Wicks suggests that the gallery program is often more important than the field. “I’ve seen areas like Bethnal Green, Clerkenwell and Fitzrovia fall into disrepute, go through barren years and now they’re being built up again,” he said. “I truly believe that quality, consistency and innovation shine through more than a zip code.”
Exterior view of TJ Boutling, London. Photo by TJ Boulting.
But when it comes to the area, it’s clear that the spillover effect of its bubbling art scene, such as nearby Bloomsbury, is evident. Herald St, a second space that opened there in 2017, has seen “a noticeable uptick in energy lately.” It has also “collaborated with other Bloomsbury galleries to create a walking map of the area and try to coordinate our openings and events,” a gallery spokesman said. Union Pacific CEO Grace Schofield, who moved to Bloomsbury in October 2023, also points to the walking map and calls it a “beautiful community”.
“The area seems to be regenerating … and I think there are long-term plans to go into the Covent Garden/Oxford Street shopping precincts,” he said. “Hopefully we don’t go too far in that direction and become more museum-loving and book-loving.”
The proximity of other galleries is also a plus for Phillida Reid, who opened her eponymous gallery in Bloomsbury in 2022. “The energy of the new and relocated galleries opening in Bloomsbury… has felt very welcoming and beneficial to everyone,” the gallerist said. “Visitors really appreciate the proximity and the range of programs within walking distance.”
Fitzrovia has a long history of being associated with the arts and this recent influx of venues has led to a renewed and expanded sense of community and diversity of exhibitions. In London’s notoriously precarious real estate environment, its growth has been hugely successful—and, thankfully, sustainable. As Maria Valeria Biondo of Des Bains said: “When you find a good place, hold on as long as you can, or until someone kicks you out”.
