VanArtHub vs Petley Jones Gallery: which should you buy original art from?

What kind of art does Petley Jones sell?

Both contemporary and historical work, with an emphasis on names from Canadian and international art history: Emily Carr, Lawren Harris, Tom Thomson, Jean-Paul Riopelle, David Hockney and Picasso all appear in its material. It has been trading since 1986 and describes its team as having over sixty years of combined experience.

VanArtHub sells only living contemporary artists, mostly Vancouver-based, in original signed paintings and drawings. There is no secondary market, no historical inventory and no resale service.

How do you buy from each?

Petley Jones works by appointment, with private viewings arranged for collectors, and does not publish prices. For a gallery handling historical work that is the normal and sensible model, because value depends on condition, provenance and the current market rather than a shelf price.

VanArtHub publishes a price on every one of its 155 works and lets you check out immediately. Free fully insured shipping is included, delivery is 3 to 7 business days in Canada and 5 to 10 in the USA, and there is a 14-day return with return postage paid.

What services does Petley Jones offer that VanArtHub does not?

Custom framing, art restoration treatments, documented art appraisals, art shipping, and help selling work as well as buying it. Those are specialist services that take decades to build, and none of them exist at VanArtHub.

VanArtHub offers a Certificate of Authenticity, free insured shipping, a 14-day return and a Lifetime Trade-Back for store credit. Useful for a contemporary purchase, irrelevant if what you need is a condition report on an inherited canvas.

Which should a first-time buyer choose?

VanArtHub, in almost every case. The prices are visible, 13 of the 155 works are under $700, nothing needs to be arranged in advance, and if the piece is wrong you send it back within 14 days at no cost.

Petley Jones is built for collectors who already know the market and want access to it. Going there for a first $300 painting would be using a specialist dealer for something they are not set up to do.

Looking for a Petley Jones Gallery alternative in Vancouver?

A Petley Jones Gallery alternative only makes sense if you are buying contemporary work. Petley Jones has traded since 1986 and deals in art history: Emily Carr, Lawren Harris, Tom Thomson, Riopelle, Hockney, Picasso. It works by appointment, arranges private viewings, and also frames, restores, appraises and helps collectors sell. Those are specialist services built over decades, and VanArtHub offers none of them.

If what you want is a signed original by a living artist, bought this week, the comparison changes. VanArtHub lists 155 of them at published prices from $531 to $5,980, with 13 under $700, and every one can be bought without arranging anything in advance.

The terms are written down rather than negotiated. Free fully insured shipping is included in the price, delivery is 3 to 7 business days in Canada and 5 to 10 in the USA, every piece carries a Certificate of Authenticity, and a 14-day return refunds you in full with VanArtHub paying the return postage.