‘Smedley Fine Art, A New Addition to the St Andrews Art Scene’

By Anne Lawton Browder

Smedley Fine Art Interior, 2026, photograph, St Andrews, Scotland. Image courtesy of Anne Lawton Browder.

Smedley Fine Art, one of St Andrews’ newest additions, represents the latest iteration of an ambitious dealership founded only a few years ago by a group of three students. What began as an experiment during the founders’ gap year in the summer of 2022 has now taken physical form with a new storefront on Market Street, filling a notable gap in the local art scene. 

‘We began with an Instagram account, then launched a website in 2023,’ founder George Smedley recalls. ‘The three of us did exhibitions at school, and we were fortunate enough to do art history at A level. Art dealing was very much an extension of that, a way to put academic interest into practise.’

When a short-term letting opportunity arose in St Andrews last winter, the founders viewed the opening of a physical gallery as the next natural step, noting that the online dealership’s rapid growth over the past couple of years has made the expansion possible.

For a student-run venture, establishing a base in St Andrews offers a unique opportunity, given that the town benefits from a steady flow of students, tourists, and visitors. Yet, as Smedley notes with some surprise, it is the local community, more so than the student population, that has shown the most early enthusiasm for the gallery. ‘People have been pleased that it’s a small independent shop,’ he observes. ‘There’s been a lot of positive feedback about having something that isn’t another vape shop or tech store.’

Distinguishing Smedley Fine Art from nearby spaces, such as The Sproson Gallery and Gallery Franklin on South Street, whose focus is primarily on contemporary works, is its wider range of historical material presented in an accessible environment that welcomes both seasoned and novice collectors alike.

‘People are definitely interested in seeing more nineteenth and twentieth century works,’ Smedley notes, ‘It was a great surprise to me that, considering how historic the town is, that there was not more available.’

At present, many of the gallery’s current offerings reflect the founders’ networks and origins in the south of England, something Smedley hopes to diversify in the near future. ‘We are trying to bring in more Scottish works,’ he says.  ‘At the moment, that includes a lot of nineteenth-century prints and drawings of Scottish castles and landscapes,’ though, looking ahead, the gallery is keen to expand their repertoire to better reflect the town’s local character.

While Smedley, a current third-year student, acknowledges the challenges of balancing gallery ownership with full time study, he notes that the adjustment from online dealing to an in-person space has been an easier transition than expected.

 ‘I have always been conscious of the fact that it can feel strange to talk about collecting in my tutorials, having my own dealing website and things,’ he reflects. ‘That has always been an element, so this is not necessarily that different.’ 

In some respects, he reflects, running the gallery resembles any other student job. ‘It is not that different from a part-time job,’ he says. ‘People are just more aware of what I’m doing because the shop is right there.’

Gallery Wall, Smedley Fine Art, 2026, photograph, St Andrews, Scotland. Image courtesy of Anne Lawton Browder.

 Although the prices of the works offered by Smedley Fine Art vary widely, ranging from pieces costing several thousand pounds to more affordable prints, the founders hope that the gallery will eventually have something to offer for everyone. As such, encouraging students to begin collecting, particularly those who might otherwise be intimidated by it, remains an important part of the gallery’s founding ethos.

Visitors to the gallery will see that every element of the space’s interior aesthetic was engineered to reinforce this sense of accessibility. Rather than featuring the white walls and sterile lighting often associated with traditional gallery spaces, the founders knew from the beginning that they wanted a more domestic feel. ‘You hang art in your house, not in a gallery environment,’ Smedley remarks. ‘So, we try to present the works in a way that people can imagine living with.’ A walk around the gallery is a testament to this vision, as visitors are met with inviting ochre walls, soft lighting, and thoughtfully arranged furniture that invites slow, unhurried browsing. 

The current space is held by a one-year lease, offering the founders the flexibility to expand their portfolio and continue building their business through the legitimacy of a physical space. In terms of longer term plans, however, the future of the gallery remains open ended.

For Smedley, the rapid growth of the dealership in just a few short years has already exceeded expectations.

‘We started with an Istagram account, buying stuff on eBay and selling them to friends,’ he says. ‘Now we are doing proper exhibitions with printed catalogues. It is hard to say where it might go.’

‘Obviously, it would be amazing to have a proper space in London at some point,’ he adds. ‘But at the moment, my focus is very much on getting this to work and understanding the  economics of it.’

Smedley emphasises that their current approach prioritises forging relationships with the wider St Andrews community.

Two English Works, Smedley Fine Art, 2026, photograph, St Andrews, Scotland. Image courtesy of Anne Lawton Browder.

‘Our dealing,’ he reflects, ‘is very much about the social side of things and getting to know clients.’ ‘For us, a physical space has been incredibly useful. We have been lucky enough to have works on loan for exhibitions and to sell some on consignment, which in terms of building our profile, has been really cool.’ ‘We’ve also hosted an opening drinks reception and look forward to continuing to welcome people in.’

‘As long as I’m here,’ Smedley says of the venture, ‘I want to continue to do it.’ 

Ultimately, for the founders, the  vision remains simple, keeping the door open and continuing to carve out a niche in accessible, thoughtful art dealing.