Absolutely fabulous

Fabulous Masterpieces in Shepherd’s Bush can recreate any of your favourite artworks. Neil McKelvie meets Tim and Anouska – the brains behind the business

‘We had one client who commissioned a reproduction of Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington, but with a rather strange twist. He asked us to subtly alter the face to include his own features,’ smiles Tim Bertram. ‘Apparently the idea was that his friends would assume that he was related to the Duke! He was deadly serious – he even wanted an exact replica of the frame. We had to get
a photograph sent from the Prado Museum in Madrid, which currently houses the original, so that we could ensure a perfect match. We’re happy to change details or backgrounds, but requests like that don’t happen very often!’

Tim and his fiancée Anouska Hudovsky are the masterminds behind Fabulous Masterpieces, a Shepherd’s Bush-based art boutique that promises to provide the ultimate solution to blank-wall syndrome by supplying museum-quality, hand-painted reproductions of famous (and not so famous) paintings. ‘These days you can buy prints from high street stores, but by the time they’ve been framed you’ll end up paying £100-plus,’ Tim continues.
‘Our customers receive a superb oil painting for just over £200: all our works are done to order by highly skilled professional artists who use fine linen canvases and the best Winsor & Newton oils. We’re totally confident of the quality – which is why we always offer a full
money back guarantee.’

Tim and Anouska launched Fabulous Masterpieces last autumn, although the concept had been brewing for the previous two years. It was inspired by the couple’s twin passions for art and travel. During a globetrotting ‘year-out’ they visited studios and galleries and returned with reproductions of paintings as gifts for family and friends. ‘Everyone loved them – and that’s when the idea dawned on us,’ Anouska recalls.
 ‘So then we started following up contacts and word-of-mouth recommendations. After a year we had gathered together a core group of artists with the technical skill and ‘eye’ to replicate every style. They are paid upfront and that means we get a fantastic service; we have a four-week turnaround from accepting a commission to delivering the work.’

Fabulous Masterpieces makes the bold claim that its artistic stable – at the moment they have 36 artists in five countries on the books – can reproduce any work by any artist who died prior to 1938. The copyright will also stay with the artist’s estate for 70 years after death. ‘Some orders have sent us scurrying for the reference books,’ admits Anouska. ‘But so far, all commissions we’ve had have been matched with one of our team – no matter what style or artist.’

The commissioning process itself is straightforward. ‘People get in touch and tell us what they’re after – often our website has given them a flavour of what we can achieve,’ explains Tim. ‘After confirming the size and price, we email them a version of the original just to make 100 per cent sure that we’re talking about the same work. Recently someone ordered a painting of Rouen cathedral by Pisarro, but it turned out that he had done two – and the one we had sourced wasn’t the one the client had in mind.
 ‘We then commission the artist best suited to the style and when the canvas is completed, we send a photograph to the customer to see if they want any amendments. Then it’s simply waiting for the oils to dry.’

As well as the reproduction element of the Fabulous Masterpieces business – it is proving popular with men looking for presents for their partners – Tim and Anouska also accept commissions for personal portraits of people and pets. Reproduced from photographs, their ‘Designer Art’ service allows customers to commission bespoke pieces of art that complement the colours and textures of their home. ‘People send in a photo of the style that they want matched and we brief our artists,’ says Tim. ‘And, most excitingly, we’re also starting to work with interior designers. They give us a brief and we create artworks that reflect the décor.’

In the future, Tim and Anouska would love to expand into the corporate market and, ultimately, own their own gallery. In the meantime, Fabulous Masterpieces is,
in Anouska’s words, ‘happy to paint anything that anybody wants. If you said: “I would like you to paint a Rothko-inspired artwork, but using pink and yellow,” we would.’

020 8740 8708 www.fabulousmasterpieces.co.uk
tim@fabulousmasterpieces.co.uk

WestSide reader offer
Fabulous Masterpieces commissions skilled artists to produce high-quality oil reproductions of renowned paintings that are almost indistinguishable from the originals. Tim and Anouska have kindly agreed to give one WestSide reader the opportunity to win a FREE reproduction worth up to £300 (it must be by an artist who died before 1938).
To enter, send a postcard to Fabulous Masterpieces, 71 Lime Grove, W12 8EE or email competition@fabulousmasterpieces.co.uk before Friday, 5 September