I thought it’d be nice to start out this new year and my new blog with a little something that may make you want and love art even more. I chose to feature two great exhibitions that are on in town right now and that ask not a high entrance fee, but no fee at all. Let’s spend a minute or two reflecting on fees. On the one hand, galleries survive thanks to the revenue they generate from their business. That includes entrance fees, too. On the other hand, if that source becomes the main leg of sustenance, the gallery is done for.

In my opinion, galleries with high entrance fees are either ones of great reputation or establishments that struggle to survive. In the first case, which is definitely predominant, they set the price as a means to restrict access for the average visitor. They target high-end connoisseurs and experts with no focus on the financial dimension of works of art. In the latter case, however, high prices especially when combined with even slightly battered look and less than perfectly arranged items, speaks of a place that’d do anything to stay in the market.

Let’s move a bit further in our speculations. What’s wrong with wanting to stay in the game? Such places can still feature amazing works of art and enlighten lots of “innocents”. Just imagine the hosts of poor art students who roam the cold London streets and pubs. Saying all that with a smile on my face, I still believe in free exhibitions. If it wasn’t for them, I would have hardly ended up in this profession myself. I preferred to spend a couple of hours in the warm galleries to wasting time in the café bars around the college.

There is no need to put those two approaches to exhibitions in a direct opposition. I’m just giving you various points of view. It is very often that one and the same gallery sets different prices for its events, depending on the season, the participants, the targeted audience and many other factors. That means that one shouldn’t judge for a place by its entrance fee for a particular event. But, let me get to action at last.

During these past holidays, I visited several of the free exhibitions in London. First, I went to see the photographs by Julia Margaret Cameron. They were made over 150 years ago and brought me back to the magic of sepia, to the vastness of expression despite the lack of colours and nuances. Although Cameron was 48 when she developed her taste for the art, she reached such summits that still impress today. You can view her work in the V&A Museum before 14th February.

Another favourite of mine is the remarkable exhibition opening Damien Hirst’s new gallery, showing works by the late John Hoyland. Since abstract art is, at best, controversial, I refrain from recommending it too often. These “Power Stations”, however, will please even uneducated eyes. Admission is free, again, and you can attend the collection at the Newport Street Gallery all the way until 3rd April.

Which exhibitions or art events did you attend during the holidays? Are any of them still open? Did you like what you saw? Are they free to visit? Do you believe in free access to art? Share your view with us.