Bell Fine Art is shutting up shop after 37 years of business in the city. Lawson Bell, who has worked there since it was opened by his father Keith, spoke to the Hampshire Chronicle about the reasons for the closure. “Well it's mainly because all the stars have aligned and I have decided that now is the right time for me to retire," said the 61 year old.
But another factor was the changing face of the street and the city centre in general. He said: “The street has changed and I’ve seen many people come and go. It was a real loss losing Forme, the lovely Italian shop which used to be on Parchment Street.
“It was a real sadness losing that because of Brexit. And that’s something that's had a little bit of an effect on us too. We certainly exported more artwork to Europe and we’re hardly exporting any now because the customer has to pay charges on it which they never used to before.
“Also getting work from artists is harder. An Italian artist we work with now has to go all the way to Turin to get a certificate to export their art to a third country.” Mr Bell mused on the changes which have come over the world of art dealership since he first began plying his trade.
“Now it’s fashion that people want, unless we’re speaking about prominent artists like Turner,” he said. So the market for original art – well, people want something completely different these days, so we have changed with that. “The way people buy art has changed as well.
Some people will .