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Thousands queue for Brick Lane art bargains
Jenny Engstrom, Evening Standard9 Jun 2008
Thousands of art lovers queued for hours to buy works by famous artists at knockdown prices at a "car boot fair".
Gavin Turk, Ian Monroe and Bob and Roberta Smith were among more than 60 contemporary artists who sold pieces from the back of their customised cars at the Art Car Boot Fair at the Old Truman Brewery in east London for a fraction of their market value.
Sir Peter Blake, best known for creating the Sgt Pepper album cover for the Beatles, sold prints for £30 at the fair in Brick Lane. Sir Peter, 76, said: "People were queuing in their hundreds to buy my prints. They come in huge numbers because they are paying much less here than they normally would."
Britney Bean, 25, from Brick Lane, waited for nearly an hour for the pop artist's work. She said: "I don't really mind queuing, I'm such a big fan of his work, and this is a great bargain." Nick Skipp, a 32-year-old painter from Brixton, queued for a signed print by Gavin Turk, who was selling images based on car tyre treads for £200 per metre. He said: "This is a great opportunity to pick up work by famous artists who normally sell for thousands of pounds."
