Best Affordable Art Galleries 2010

With the proliferation of online art galleries, novice collectors have more options now than they've ever had before. Independently owned art galleries and print shops offer editions for as little as $10 or $20 — or even original paintings in the low hundreds — and it's easy to browse images without having to set foot in a brick and mortar space.

20x200: Jen Bekman started 20x200 as a brick-and-mortar gallery on the Lower East Side in NYC, and she's built it into one of the best online galleries out there. Shown: Untitled (Let's Get Lost) by Shaun Sundholm, $20 - $200.
LUMAS - PHOTO. ART. EDITIONS.: An online seller of photography by established and emerging artists, Lumas has beautiful, arresting, colorful images at affordable prices. Shown: David Burdeny, Drift, starting at $420.
Photograph: This photographic archive source has approximately 8,000 photographs online. Available in multiple sizes, photos cost between $20 and $150. Shown: Swimming Elephant from the National Geographic Collection, starting at $20/print.
Lost Art Salon: This San Francisco gallery has an extensive collection of period paintings, drawings, sculptures, and ceramics by "lost" artists from the 20th Century. Images are frequently updated on their website. Shown: Early 20th Century Figure Study by G. Maddocks, $265.
The Beholder: San Francisco graphic designer Suzanne Shade started The Beholder so that people could find and buy art outside of the gallery system, and so that artists could connect with a large audience via the web. Shown: Five Fingers, Hawaii, photograph by Kari Orvik, $375.
Tiny Showcase: This studio — operated out of Providence, Rhode Island — produces small runs of artist editions and sells them until they run out. Editions are small in scale as well as numbers, averaging around 6x5 inches. Shown: The Walk by Bruce Wilhelm, $20.
Poster Cabaret: Based out of Austin, Texas, this shop carries illustrated prints by a wide range of emerging and established artists such as Charley Harper, Aesthetic Apparatus, and Diana Sudyka. Shown: Love Hate Print by Blanca Gomez, $30.
The Post Family: This Chicago art collective is made of up seven guys, each of whom sell their artwork through an online shop and brick-and-mortar gallery in the city's West Loop neighborhood. Shown: Projector Print #3 by Rod Post, $25.
Hatch Show Prints: This is one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, responsible for those distinctive two-color posters that were used to advertise music shows by the likes of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Shown: Zeke Clements Print, $100.
Renegade Handmade: This online and brick-and-mortar store in Chicago was created as an extension of the über-popular Renegade Craft Fair. They showcase the work of over 300 artists. Shown: Something Is Happening, Painting by Laura Berger, $95.
NewBloodArt.com: This online gallery features paintings, photographs, and prints from emerging artists who are studying or have recently graduated from art courses in the UK. Shown: Boat, Photograph by Eva Bartron, £80.

The Bird Machine: Chicago printmaker Jay Ryan is known for his layered multi-color posters for indie bands, but he also creates illustrative works that he sells online. He hand-makes each print using many successive screens. Shown: Stellars Jay, Silkscreen by Jay Ryan, $100.
Hammerpress: Kansas City's Brady Vest started this studio in 1994, and continues to create prints on antique and letter presses. The shop has a distinctive, modern-Americana style. Shown: Wood Type Specimen, Letterpress Print, $35.
Poster Child Prints: Headquartered in Los Angeles, Poster Child specializes in limited-edition screenprints. The gallery collaborates closely with artists on editions, and each print is signed and numbered. Shown: I Hate Everyone But You by Tim Biskup, $200.
The Working Proof: Founded by Anna Corpron and Sean Auyeung of Sub-Studio, the Working Proof promotes both art and social responsibility, as 15 percent of the sale of each print is donated to a charity of the artist's choice. Shown: Miracle Fish by Lizzy House, digital print, $30.
Artmuse: Based out of Austin and founded by Bonnie Glendinning, Artmuse is an online gallery selling a mix of limited editions, original art, and open edition prints. Shown: Anchorite by Ian Carpenter, giclee, starting at $25
Yee-Haw Industries: Julie Belcher and Kevin Bradley founded Yee-Haw in 1996 in Knoxville, Tennessee. It's a working letterpress print shop, graphic design and artist studio, and they sell prints online for as little as $20. Shown: 8 x 10 Typography No. 2, $35.
Zatista: This online source connects sellers (either artists or galleries) with web-saavy collectors. Everything in their inventory is original — no reproductions allowed. Shown: Sunset Over Brooklyn, Photograph by Dominique James, $75.