Hanina Fine Arts

Breathtaking and superbly selected post-​war pieces can be found in this calm refuge off Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill — galleries rarely get better than this in terms of the caliber of their paintings — cherry picked pieces from a bevy of intriguing artists. They focus on works from the School of Paris, and walking through the gallery provides a nice micro-​survey of the art movements that have unfolded over the past century and a half or so.
Many of the paintings themselves are drop-​dead marvelous. I’m particularly fond of just about everything they carry by Claude Venard — an artist I was unfamiliar with till having the good fortune of stumbling into the gallery. Venard’s cubist-​style paintings are alive with a spontaneity and realness I find to be lacking in so many other cubists’ work — the fact that the gallery carries so many of Venard’s pieces, to me, is a real indicator of their dedication to carrying truly interesting pieces from the various abstract art movements, not to mention, evidence of their wonderful eye.
The staff is friendly and willing to answer questions about the basics of the pieces — and are also happy to print off information — lots and lots of information (as a historian and art aficionado, I appreciate this) regarding the artists and their individual pieces — so major props to them for this.
Hanina looks a little imposing due to its always-​locked towering metal door that’s flush with the rest of its glass exterior — this kind of gives off the impression of the gallery being something of a padlocked vault — like you can look in, but it’s really only open only to «certain people.» I promise you, however, that this is not the case and that you’ll encounter an unpretentious and relaxed staff. So go ahead and ring the buzzer to be let in — especially if you love art — having a look in here is a definitely a rousing experience.