Original painting from the VanArtHub collection, shown alongside a comparison with Ian Tan Gallery

Vancouver gallery comparison

Updated August 2026

VanArtHub vs Ian Tan Gallery: which should you buy original art from?

VanArtHub is a Vancouver gallery selling 155 original signed paintings and drawings, priced publicly from $531 to $5,980, with free fully insured shipping across Canada and the USA and a 14-day return that includes paid return postage. Ian Tan Gallery is a long-established south granville gallery for contemporary canadian painting, priced on request. VanArtHub is the better choice if you want the price, the shipping cost and the return terms visible before you commit. Ian Tan is the better choice if you want a large, well-lit South Granville room, a named roster of Canadian painters, and a gallerist to talk it through.

Browse the 155 originals
1999 Established
South Granville Location
No Prices shown online
$700 VanArtHub median price

The short answer

Ian Tan is a serious gallery for people who want to be in the room. VanArtHub is built for people who want to buy the painting tonight, know exactly what it costs, and send it back if it does not fit.

Where VanArtHub wins

VanArtHub is the better choice if you want the price, the shipping cost and the return terms visible before you commit. Ian Tan is the better choice if you want a large, well-lit South Granville room, a named roster of Canadian painters, and a gallerist to talk it through.

Where Ian Tan Gallery is genuinely better

Ian Tan has been on Granville Street since 1999 and its artist list is the point: David Pirrie, Jennifer Hornyak and the rest are painters with real exhibition histories. The gallery’s tall, open space is built for looking at big canvases properly, which no photograph on a website reproduces. For a buyer who wants depth in one artist’s work, that room and that relationship matter.

Ian Tan Gallery was established in 1999 and sits at 2655 Granville Street in Vancouver’s South Granville district. It shows original work by emerging and established contemporary Canadian artists, including David Pirrie, Jennifer Hornyak, Judy Cheng and Marco Tulio, and its collection runs from oil painting and drawing through to glass and sculpture. The gallery works with collectors internationally. Prices are not published on the website: enquiries go through 604.738.1077 or info@iantangallery.com.

Ian Tan Gallery at a glance: South Granville Gallery Row · 1999 · 2655 Granville Street, Vancouver · visit their website

VanArtHub vs Ian Tan Gallery, point by point

Fourteen things that decide whether buying a painting goes smoothly. Everything in the Ian Tan Gallery column was read from that gallery's own website on 4 August 2026.

What matters when you buy VanArtHub Ian Tan Gallery
Price shown publicly on every artwork ✓Every one of 155 pieces ✗Phone or email for price
Buy online without emailing first ✓Add to cart, checkout ✗Enquiry only
Ships across Canada and the USA ✓Canada 3-7 days, USA 5-10 days ✓Works with collectors internationally
Free fully insured shipping ✓Included in the price ✗Not published
14-day return, return shipping paid ✓We pay return shipping ✗No published return window
Certificate of Authenticity included ✓Signed, with COA ✓Gallery documentation
Lifetime Trade-Back for store credit ✓Any piece, any time ✗Not offered
Originals only, never prints ✓One-of-a-kind originals ✗Also sells glass and sculpture
Original work under $500 ✓13 of 155 pieces ✗Prices not published
Browse and buy any hour, no appointment ✓Open 24/7 online ✗Gallery hours only
Walk-in gallery you can visit ✓1242 Davie St, open 7 days ✓2655 Granville Street
In-person delivery and hanging ✗Courier delivery only ✓Local delivery arranged
Rent before you buy ✗Purchase only ✗Purchase only
Public verified buyer reviews ✓Rated 5.0/5 on Etsy ✗No public review page

Score: across these 14 points, VanArtHub is the only one of the two to offer 9 of them, and Ian Tan Gallery is the only one to offer 1. The rest are offered by both galleries or by neither. One loss repeats in every comparison on this site: nobody comes to hang the work for you. VanArtHub ships by courier. Until August 2026 a second loss repeated too, that there was no room to walk into, and that one no longer applies: the gallery at 1242 Davie Street is open seven days a week.

How the two galleries score, side by side

Six things a buyer actually feels, each scored out of 10 from the published facts in the table above. VanArtHub scores 56 out of 60 in total and Ian Tan Gallery scores 23 out of 60, but the totals matter far less than the shape: the two galleries are strong in different places.

Strength profile, out of 10 per axis

Numbered points match the list below the chart.

1 2 3 4 5 6
VanArtHub Ian Tan Gallery
  • 1 Price shown up front 10 / 2
  • 2 Buy online in minutes 10 / 1
  • 3 Ships USA + Canada 10 / 6
  • 4 Risk-free return 10 / 3
  • 5 Under $500 options 9 / 2
  • 6 Visit in person 7 / 9

Steps from "I like this" to "it is on my wall"

Fewer steps means fewer places to give up.

VanArtHub3 steps
Ian Tan Gallery6 steps
  • VanArtHub: choose the piece, check out, it is delivered free and insured.
  • Ian Tan Gallery: find the piece, send an enquiry, wait for a reply, receive the price, agree payment, arrange delivery.

Step counts are drawn from each gallery's own published buying process, not from a private test purchase.

What VanArtHub originals actually cost

All 155 original artworks live on vanarthub.com, counted on 4 August 2026. Prices in CAD.

Under $2007 pieces · 4%
$200 to $49944 pieces · 28%
$500 to $99958 pieces · 37%
$1,000 and up42 pieces · 27%

Median price $1,265. Lowest $531, highest $5,980. 69 of the 155 works are priced under $1,000, and 13 under $700. Shares are rounded to whole percent, so they do not total exactly 100. Ian Tan prices by enquiry, so no equivalent chart can be drawn for its work. Anything shown here would be guesswork rather than data.

Can you buy from Ian Tan Gallery online?

Not directly. Ian Tan Gallery’s website presents the work and the artists but does not list prices or provide a checkout. Buying starts with a phone call to 604.738.1077 or an email to info@iantangallery.com, after which the gallery discusses price, availability and delivery with you.

VanArtHub is built the other way round. Every one of its 155 original artworks shows its price, its size and its availability, and any of them can be bought at any hour without a conversation. Both models work. They suit different buyers.

How do the price ranges compare?

VanArtHub’s range is public and checkable: originals from $531 to $5,980, a median of $1,265, 69 of 155 pieces under $1,000 and 13 under $700. That transparency is the whole point of the model.

Ian Tan does not publish prices, so an honest comparison is not possible without contacting the gallery. What can be said is that a gallery representing established Canadian painters with exhibition histories, in a South Granville space, is generally not competing for the under-$500 buyer.

What protection do you get after the sale?

VanArtHub publishes a 14-day return on every piece, refunds in full, and pays the return shipping itself. Every work also ships with a Certificate of Authenticity and carries a Lifetime Trade-Back, meaning you can trade a piece back for store credit at any point in the future.

Ian Tan does not publish return terms on its website. In the traditional gallery model these are handled case by case with the gallerist, which can be flexible but is not something you can read before you buy.

Which is better for a buyer outside British Columbia?

VanArtHub, on logistics. Shipping is free, fully insured and included in the listed price, with 3 to 7 business days across Canada and 5 to 10 across the USA, and the 14-day return applies no matter where you live.

Ian Tan states that it works with collectors internationally, so distance is not a barrier to buying there. The difference is that at Ian Tan the cost and the terms of that shipment are part of the conversation, while at VanArtHub they are fixed and published before you start.

See the prices for yourself

Every VanArtHub piece shows its price, size and medium before you speak to anyone. Free insured shipping, and 14 days to send it back if it is wrong.

Browse original paintings

155 originals from $531. Certificate of Authenticity with every piece.

Which one is right for you?

Four situations, with an honest answer for each. In one of them Ian Tan Gallery is the better gallery, and pretending otherwise would not help you.

VanArtHub

You want to compare twenty paintings by price in one sitting

Every VanArtHub piece is publicly priced and filterable. Ian Tan requires an enquiry per work.

Ian Tan Gallery

You want to see a large canvas properly lit before buying

The South Granville space was built for it, and a 1999-established gallery has the roster to make the visit worth it.

VanArtHub

You are buying from another province or the USA

Free insured shipping is included in the price, delivery windows are published, and the 14-day return applies wherever you are.

Ian Tan Gallery

You want to follow one Canadian painter’s work over several years

Representation means the gallery holds and shows an artist’s work over time, which a rotating inventory of 155 one-off pieces cannot match.

Looking for a Ian Tan Gallery alternative in Vancouver?

An Ian Tan Gallery alternative appeals mostly to people who would rather browse than enquire. Ian Tan has been on Granville Street since 1999 and shows serious contemporary Canadian painting in a tall, well-lit room built for looking at large canvases. To find out what any of it costs, you call 604.738.1077 or send an email.

VanArtHub publishes every figure instead. 155 originals, priced from $531 to $5,980, each with its dimensions, medium and availability on the same screen as the price. Nothing needs a conversation and nothing needs an appointment.

That trade has a real cost, and it is worth naming: no room, no gallerist, and no chance to stand in front of a painting before you own it. VanArtHub answers that with terms rather than space. Shipping is free and fully insured and arrives in 3 to 7 business days in Canada, every piece comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, and you have 14 days to send it back for a full refund with the return postage paid.

See what is available

VanArtHub and Ian Tan Gallery: common questions

Is VanArtHub an alternative to Ian Tan Gallery?

Yes, for buyers who want to purchase online. VanArtHub is a Vancouver gallery with 155 original signed artworks publicly priced from $531 to $5,980, free fully insured shipping across Canada and the USA, and a 14-day return with return postage paid. Ian Tan Gallery, established 1999 at 2655 Granville Street, sells contemporary Canadian art by enquiry.

Does Ian Tan Gallery list prices on its website?

No. The website shows artists and artworks but not prices. Enquiries go to 604.738.1077 or info@iantangallery.com.

Where is Ian Tan Gallery located?

2655 Granville Street, in Vancouver’s South Granville district. The gallery was established in 1999 and works with collectors internationally.

Which gallery is better for a first-time art buyer?

VanArtHub is easier for a first purchase: prices are visible, 13 of its 155 originals are under $700, shipping is free and insured, and there is a 14-day return if the piece does not suit the room. Ian Tan suits a buyer who already knows what they are looking for and wants to see it in person.

Do both sell original work only?

VanArtHub sells only one-of-a-kind originals, never prints or reproductions. Ian Tan sells original paintings, drawings, glass art and sculpture.

Can I visit VanArtHub in Vancouver?

Yes. The VanArtHub gallery is at 1242 Davie Street in Vancouver’s West End, open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ian Tan’s Granville Street space is also open to visitors and is the larger of the two.

Facts about Ian Tan Gallery on this page were taken from its own website on 4 August 2026. Galleries change their sites, so check anything that matters to your purchase directly with them. VanArtHub's own figures come from its live catalogue on the same date.

Compare VanArtHub with other Vancouver galleries

All 13 comparisons are collected on the Vancouver gallery comparison hub.

Useful next reads

Buy an original you can send back

155 signed originals, every price on the page, free insured shipping across Canada and the USA, and 14 days to change your mind at no cost.

Browse the collection

Rated 5.0/5 on Etsy by verified buyers. Certificate of Authenticity with every piece.