-
Free booking and cancellationFree payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free
-
Accepts electronic paymentThis tour allows payment by electronic means or credit card
×
Want something a little deeper than the London popular culture tours? I'm a former teacher, economist, analyst and a lover of history, books and ideas. If you just want to take photos to put on social media, have little interest in history and don’t really like walking, then PLEASE BOOK A DIFFERENT TOUR!!! If you are intellectually curious and like to think, then let me take you through the streets of London, from the City (the old Roman town of Londinium), to Southwark on the south bank of the River Thames and then to Covent Garden, Soho, Mayfair & St James’s (6 different walks in total). I'll explain how London came from being a European backwater in the 1500s to the largest city in the world in the 1800s. Today, London surpasses New York in diversity and has become a playground for the rich. From clean money to dirty money, I'll tell you the back story behind London's rise, not just the official version! The good, the bad and the ugly: you'll hear about it all.
Hello. I’m Justin, a GuruWalk guide offering 6 tours with around 1,500 ratings, averaging 5 stars. ArtLand is my newest tour.
London and New York are the twin art capitals of the world, both offering a unique combination of top-level museums, auction houses, private galleries, elite art dealers and an abundance of super rich.
So why is one painting worth £1,000, a second £100,000 and a third £100 million? Certainly not because of the intrinsic artistic merit of any particular painting!
To find the true answer, I'll lead you through London's wealthiest streets and explain how the art market works. ArtLand is an Alice in Wonderland world where nothing is as it seems!
At the centre of ArtLand are the 4 most prestigious London auctioneers: 1) Sothebys, 2) Christies, 3) Philipps & 4) Bonhams. We will walk past all four, and I will try to visit at least one with you depending on their viewing schedules.
I will also explain how London's art dealers profit from modern & contemporary art, led by another Big Four: 1) Gagosian, 2) Hauser & Wirth, 3) Pace & 4) David Zwirner. As we walk around Mayfair, we will also pass down Cork Street, which probably has the highest concentration of art galleries in town, all free and all open to the public.
Some dealers prefer the term "gallerist" particularly those promoting the new work of living artists, and we will try to visit one of those galleries as well such as Jay Jopling's White Cube in St James's (Jopling launched the careers of the famed YBAs, young British artists, such as Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin).
The market for modern & contemporary art is the most unregulated market in the world, Join me as I pull back the curtain on London's ArtLand, the Wild West of capitalism, red in tooth and claw, where anything goes as long as it makes money.
I will be outside the Bond Street entrance of the auctioneers Bonhams. You can't miss me as I will be carrying a yellow umbrella.
One of London's Big 4 auction houses that specialises in Asian Art amongst other areas.
The flagship London gallery of the world's richest art dealer Larry Gagosian
The London action house with a speciality in "wet paint" art: the new art of famous living artists.
One of London's most exclusive squares that was the home to the US Embassy and now is home to some of the most expensive apartments in the world.
London's oldest auctioneers, with a rather impressive tea room.
Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).