For anyone wondering what to give their nearest and dearest for Christmas, how about the Mona Lisa?

Or maybe a Picasso or Monet?

Of course, the original could be a tad on the pricey side during a credit crunch.

If so, Phil Berridge can fix you up with a masterpiece at what, for the art world, is a pocket money price.

The paintings are not copies or forgeries, you understand, just slight variations on the originals.

"Although the artist works from the original painting, every picture is unique and individual.

"This isn't painting by numbers, only an extremely gifted craftsperson could mimic the style of the greats. It's a representative adaptation of the original work, yet an original piece in its own right," said Mr Berridge who has set up the British Art Academy in Bath.

"The idea behind it is to stop valuable paintings being locked away from the public and let everyone enjoy them."

These pictures are not copies or fakes, they are adaptations of the original work.

The idea came from a friend of Mr Berridge who launched the idea in the US. It is thought to be the country's first trial of this kind of adaptation.

Works already commissioned by the gallery include Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Edward Munch's iconic The Scream and The Charge of the Light Brigade by Chris Collingwood.

Mr Berridge believes these oil reworkings will build up a value of their own over time.

He said: "Unlike owning a print, which is flat, printed on glossy art paper and not really something a collector would own relish and love, these are oil paintings, beautiful collectable works of art with a sheen, colour, depth and texture, just like the real thing.

"Over the years, the adaptations become collectors pieces in their own right as the artists themselves become more established.

"Our main aim is to bring beauty back to art rather than focusing on things like sharks in tanks, so people can hang affordable art in their homes and feel proud of it.

"But we also want to raise the profile of some of the lesser-known art talent in the region and across the country."

Another of the gallery's immediate aims is to celebrate the urban art style for which Bristol has become famous.

"This means promoting the graffiti art made popular by individuals such as Banksy and Cyclops while setting up Bath's own annual urban art festival," said Mr Berridge.

The displays in the Walcot Street gallery will be changed frequently and there are plans to showcase abstract works and a series of Matisse-inspired black and white nudes.

The British Art Academy will officially open on December 5.

But in the run up to that event it will be fundraising for charity and hosting an auction.

In the week before the opening, there will be a living Mona Lisa posing behind a frame in the window behind and any passer-by who can make her smile will be invited to the party for a free glass of Champagne.

The gallery is still recruiting artists and anyone wanting to be a British Art Academy artist, should contact Mr Berridge on 01225 480660.