The Collectors- Stuart Hay

It’s a really friendly fair and a great place to buy good quality art. The advice and knowledge that the exhibitors offer is invaluable. I can’t wait to go back.

Haddenham resident Stuart Hay is Acting Director of Estates & Facilities at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He’s been acquiring original art for many years and has collected around ten paintings and prints so far, mostly by local Artists. 

In 2015 Stuart came along to Cambridge Art Fair for the first time, intending to buy a painting for his newly decorated Dining Room. “I've not been to many art fairs before and so wasn't sure what expect.” But the experience was a positive one. “I found the dealers very approachable and happy to give plenty of background to the artist and the individual pieces of art. It was very reassuring to know that all of the galleries and dealers in the fair have enough confidence in the skill and talent of each Artist that they would represent them.”  

On that first visit, Stuart took his time, walking around the entire fair, taking in all of the available work and engaging with the exhibitors. “I was really impressed at the wide range of styles and the quality of the work. I spent a good couple of hours there wandering around and having a good look at everything.”

A couple of paintings in particular caught his eye but, eventually, Stuart decided on a large painting by Mark Poprawski on the Josephine Harper Gallery stand. Why that particular painting? “I loved the depth of the image and the subtle changes in the light of the sky. It’s an amazingly atmospheric painting.” Poprawski, a Norwich art graduate, is well-known for the atmospheric quality of his paintings, inspired by the drama of the Cornish land and seascapes that he is exposed to as a resident of St. Ives in Cornwall. 

Does Stuart buy art for investment or purely for enjoyment? “Oh purely to enjoy it. This particular painting is in our dining room so I get to look at it regularly. I really enjoy experiencing the painting on a daily basis.”

Will Stuart be back in 2016? “Yes, definitely. I’ll be bringing my wife Anna along this year as I’d like her to choose a piece of art this year. It’s a really friendly fair and a great place to buy good quality art. The advice and knowledge that the exhibitors offer is invaluable. I can’t wait to go back.”