The customer-friendly Bad Art Gallery was a force for good, says MICHAEL PARSONS

DESPITE its provocatively tongue-in-cheek name, the Bad Art Gallery is anything but. The bright, cheerful space at 79 Francis Street in Dublin 8 is filled with a diverse range of affordable art. Paintings and some sculpture are displayed in a customer-friendly way, with everything clearly priced, and browsing is not just welcomed but positively encouraged.

But this weekend, five years after its inception, the gallery is closing. There will be a 15 per cent discount on all stock in its closing down sale today and tomorrow.

Over the past five years, the gallery deployed savvy promotions to encourage buyers and attract a new clientele deterred by the traditional perception of commercial art galleries as stuffy, elitist and intimidating.

An annual RHA Unselected Showrevived the concept of the famous 1863 Paris Salon des Refusésand provided a showcase for artists whose work was rejected by the jury for the Royal Hibernian Academy's annual exhibition.

Bad Art also organised an annual Stocking Fillerssale which offered Christmas shoppers a selection of hundreds of works of art priced at under €500.

The gallery has a big stable of artists including Eoin O’Connor, based in Aughrim, Co Wicklow who is known for his sensationally-coloured landscapes peopled with larger- than-life farmers and cows; Erin de Burca who, despite living in Alicante, paints haunting images of Ireland’s suburban housing estates; and Dublin restaurateur Nick Munier whose abstract paintings adorn the walls of his bistro, Le Pichet.

The closure is yet another blow for Francis Street in The Liberties – a traditional hub of the city’s fine art and antiques trade. The entrepreneurial owner of the Bad Art Gallery, Denise Donnelly says “Francis Street is struggling in this climate. Four shops closed over the last three months which is very sad. Francis Street just doesn’t have enough foot traffic; I think it is slightly off the beaten track.”

She is not giving up and has plans to launch a new venture. She and Deirdre Carroll, the former owner of Ormond Quay’s Bridge Gallery, plan to open a new space, The Doorway Gallery, at 24 South Frederick Street next month. Many of their artists will move with them.

* Closing down sale at The Bad Art Gallery, 79 Francis Street, Dublin 8 today, Jan 22nd, 10.30am–6pm, tomorrow, Sunday, Jan23rd, 2pm-5pm