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

Vancouver gallery comparison

Updated August 2026

VanArtHub vs Kurbatoff 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. Kurbatoff Gallery is a respected gallery row space for contemporary canadian art, sold by enquiry rather than online. VanArtHub is the better choice if you want to see the price, buy the piece and know the return terms without starting a conversation. Kurbatoff is the better choice if you want a curated Gallery Row space, a monthly rotating exhibition, and a dealer relationship with a gallerist who knows the artists personally.

Browse the 155 originals
2002 Founded
33 Gallery artists
No Prices shown online
155 of 155 VanArtHub pieces priced online

The short answer

Kurbatoff sells the traditional way: come in, talk to us, we will tell you the price. VanArtHub sells the way people now buy almost everything else, with the number on the page and the return policy in writing.

Where VanArtHub wins

VanArtHub is the better choice if you want to see the price, buy the piece and know the return terms without starting a conversation. Kurbatoff is the better choice if you want a curated Gallery Row space, a monthly rotating exhibition, and a dealer relationship with a gallerist who knows the artists personally.

Where Kurbatoff Gallery is genuinely better

Kurbatoff has spent more than twenty years building a roster of contemporary Canadian artists and a physical space people walk into. Its consultation model is not a weakness for everyone: if you want an expert to narrow 33 artists down to the two that suit your room, a conversation beats a filter. The Canadian Business Award recognition is real and earned.

Kurbatoff Gallery opened in 2002 at 2435 Granville Street, in the middle of South Granville Gallery Row. It represents 33 gallery artists working in painting, sculpture and photography, all contemporary Canadian, and was named Best Commercial Art Gallery 2020 in the Canadian Business Awards from Corporate Vision. Its website shows the work but not the prices: buying means contacting the gallery. Kurbatoff arranges packaging and worldwide shipping for collectors outside British Columbia, and offers delivery and installation across Greater Vancouver.

Kurbatoff Gallery at a glance: South Granville Gallery Row · 2002 · 2435 Granville Street, Vancouver · visit their website

VanArtHub vs Kurbatoff Gallery, point by point

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

What matters when you buy VanArtHub Kurbatoff Gallery
Price shown publicly on every artwork ✓Every one of 155 pieces ✗Contact the gallery
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 ✓Worldwide shipping arranged
Free fully insured shipping ✓Included in the price ✗Quoted per piece
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 photography
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 ✓2435 Granville Street
In-person delivery and hanging ✗Courier delivery only ✓Greater Vancouver delivery
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 Kurbatoff 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 Kurbatoff 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 Kurbatoff 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
Kurbatoff Gallery6 steps
  • VanArtHub: choose the piece, check out, it is delivered free and insured.
  • Kurbatoff 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. Kurbatoff does not publish prices, so there is no comparable distribution to set beside this one without contacting the gallery first.

Does Kurbatoff Gallery show prices online?

No. Kurbatoff’s website presents its 33 gallery artists and their work, but does not publish prices. To find out what a painting costs you contact the gallery by phone, email or in person. This is normal for South Granville Gallery Row and it is a deliberate choice, not an oversight: galleries that price by conversation can tailor the discussion to the buyer.

VanArtHub takes the opposite position. All 155 original artworks carry a public price, from $531 to $5,980, with a median of $1,265. You can see what something costs at 11pm on a Sunday without speaking to anyone.

How many steps does it take to buy?

At VanArtHub it is three: choose the piece, check out, it arrives. Shipping is free and insured, and the 14-day return is already written down before you pay.

At an enquiry-only gallery it is closer to six: find the piece, send an email or call, wait for a reply, receive the price, agree payment, then arrange shipping or collection. None of those steps is unreasonable on its own. Together they are the reason a lot of people who like a painting never end up owning it.

What happens if the painting does not suit the room?

VanArtHub gives you 14 days from delivery to send any piece back for a full refund, and pays the return shipping. That is published, applies to every piece, and does not depend on who you spoke to.

Kurbatoff does not publish a return window. What it does offer is delivery and installation across Greater Vancouver, so a local buyer gets professional help hanging the work. Those solve different problems: one protects you if you change your mind, the other makes sure it goes up straight.

Which is better if you are not in Vancouver?

VanArtHub. Free fully insured shipping is included in every price, works arrive in 3 to 7 business days in Canada and 5 to 10 in the USA, and the 14-day return applies wherever you live.

Kurbatoff does ship: its site says it arranges packaging and worldwide shipping for collectors outside British Columbia. But shipping is quoted rather than included, and the parts of the service that stand out, the gallery visit and the Greater Vancouver installation, only help if you are close enough to use them.

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 Kurbatoff Gallery is the better gallery, and pretending otherwise would not help you.

VanArtHub

You want to know the price before you talk to anyone

All 155 VanArtHub artworks are publicly priced. Kurbatoff prices by enquiry, so the conversation comes first.

Kurbatoff Gallery

You want a gallerist to guide you through a curated roster

Twenty-plus years on Gallery Row and 33 represented artists mean a Kurbatoff consultation can narrow a big field fast in a way a website filter cannot.

VanArtHub

You are buying as a gift and need it delivered by a date

Published price, instant checkout, free insured shipping with a stated delivery window, and a 14-day return if it misses the mark.

Kurbatoff Gallery

You live in Greater Vancouver and want a large work hung professionally

Kurbatoff offers delivery and installation throughout Greater Vancouver, which a courier-delivered online purchase does not.

Looking for a Kurbatoff Gallery alternative in Vancouver?

Most people looking for a Kurbatoff Gallery alternative want one thing: to see the price. Kurbatoff has spent more than twenty years on South Granville building a roster of 33 contemporary Canadian artists, and it prices by conversation, which is the long-standing way galleries sell art. It is not a trick, but it does mean you cannot compare two paintings on a Sunday evening without emailing someone.

All 155 VanArtHub originals carry a public price, between $531 and $5,980, with a median of $1,265. You can filter by price, size, subject and medium, and buy any of them at any hour.

The terms are published too, which matters more than the price itself. Free fully insured shipping is included, delivery takes 3 to 7 business days in Canada and 5 to 10 in the USA, and a 14-day return covers every piece with VanArtHub paying the postage. Kurbatoff will arrange worldwide shipping and will deliver and install across Greater Vancouver, but you have to ask first, and it is quoted per piece.

See what is available

VanArtHub and Kurbatoff Gallery: common questions

Is VanArtHub a good alternative to Kurbatoff Gallery?

Yes, if your priority is buying without an enquiry. VanArtHub is a Vancouver gallery with 155 original signed artworks, all publicly priced from $531 to $5,980, shipped free and fully insured across Canada and the USA with a 14-day return. Kurbatoff is a Granville Street gallery representing 33 contemporary Canadian artists whose prices are given on request.

Does Kurbatoff Gallery sell art online?

Kurbatoff’s website displays artwork but does not publish prices or offer online checkout. Purchases are arranged by contacting the gallery directly. It does arrange packaging and worldwide shipping for collectors outside British Columbia.

Where is Kurbatoff Gallery?

Kurbatoff Gallery is at 2435 Granville Street, Vancouver, on South Granville Gallery Row. It opened in 2002 and represents 33 contemporary Canadian artists in painting, sculpture and photography.

Which has more affordable original art?

VanArtHub publishes its full price range, so it can be checked: 13 of its 155 originals are under $700 and 69 are under $1,000. Kurbatoff does not publish prices, so no like-for-like comparison is possible without contacting the gallery.

Can I return a painting bought from either gallery?

VanArtHub publishes a 14-day return with return shipping paid on every piece. Kurbatoff does not publish a return policy on its website, so any return terms would need to be agreed with the gallery.

Does VanArtHub have a physical gallery on Granville Street?

No, not on Granville Street. 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. Kurbatoff sits on South Granville Gallery Row, where several galleries are within a few blocks of each other, so that stretch is the better walk if you want to see many rooms in one trip.

Facts about Kurbatoff 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.