Love art but can't afford it?

When it comes to art collecting, it's often a luxury we can't afford. Thanks to New York based art gallery owner Jen Bekman, that's all about to change...

Jen had a mission a few years back, and that was to support emerging artists and deliver their art into the hands of art enthusiasts and collectors worldwide... and New Zealand, we have not been forgotten!

On a Sunday night back in January 2007, she came up with this winning formula:

(limited editions x low prices) + the internet = art for everyone.

Thus 20 X 200 was born.

20 being $20 USD - the starting price - making it totally affordable, and 200 being the number of editions reprinted when the site first launched. Every print comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity that's signed by the artist as well as the corresponding artist's bio and statement not to mention instructions on how to care for your print!

Whether it be photo or work on paper - all prints are limited and exclusive to 20 X 200. The reprints are of the highest quality and overseen by the artists themselves. With every piece, the artist in question offers a brief introduction along with Jen's insightful perspective and professional opinion on them which I found to be invaluable when it came to picking and choosing.

What's more, they also 'hold your hand' (so to speak) through the framing process with their framing guide which includes what kind of frame to pair it with to bring out the best in your print.

The site offers at least two new editions a week: one photo and one work on paper. Most are available in three or four sizes and for the die-hard collectors, the original artwork is usually available so get in touch with them if you want the one-and-only!

Here are some of my faves...

'Dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History' by Jason Polan:

We heart dinosaurs BIG TIME so this is definitely one of our top picks!

'Hausman' by Kevin Cyr:

"In this particular series, I commemorate commercial vehicles inundated with graffiti and rust. Removing them from their everyday context, I place them on a solid color field giving them portrait-like importance. With devoted attention, I paint every imperfection and sign of age. Isolating these objects allows me a chance to document a time and place, and to make still a part of the ever-changing urban environment." - Kevin Cyr

'Untitled (Sad Vader)' by Alex Brown:

"In my photography, I am interested in the spontaneous documentation of scenes from daily life. I am drawn to moments of beauty and humor in the mundane that often go unnoticed. This photograph was taken in a McDonald's restaurant in Upstate New York. The kid was sitting in the booth on his own wearing a Darth Vader helmet that made the same breathing sound as the character in Star Wars. For some reason, he reminded me of myself as a child. I always wanted a helmet like that when Star Wars first came out but my parents wouldn’t buy me one." - Alex Brown

'VHS' by Hollis Brown Thornton:

A bit of nostalgia... redundant but not forgotten.

'Momento Vitae' by Alexander Beeching:

Inspired by the stars and constellations, this is Alexander Beeching's own stellar take!

'28 Camera Drawings' by Christine Berrie:

This definitely reaches out to the nerd and collector within us! A selection of some the finest and most reknowned cameras complete with their trademark attributes.

'Untitled (Bondi Baths, Sydney, Australia) 2007' by Carlo Van de Roer:

From a series of works focused on swimming pools and public baths, Carlo Van de Roer shares his passion for landscapes and spaces as well as the interaction of people and the environment.

'Vanity Fair MAY08:pg269 (incredibly, looking not a day older)' by Lauren DiCioccio:

"Fashion magazines are the source materials for my series color codification dot drawings. I make each piece on a sheet of frosted mylar laid over a magazine page. After assigning a color to every letter in the alphabet (numbers are in grayscale, 0=white and 9=black), I apply tiny dots of paint over every character on the page. Each drawing I make has a different color codification, and therefore a different palette. The resulting painting is a legible blur of dots in the form of the article’s layout — like a system of Braille for the color inclined." - Lauren DiCioccio

[source: http://www.20x200.com/]