Price Tags for Beauty: 7 Online Platforms That Sell Art

(Cover picture: Jody MacDonald/Lumas.)

Art on the Internet is presented on different platforms – from web galleries and online auctions to selling pictures and sculptures on Amazon online shop. While some artists have only started moving from offline to online, others have already invented new services: they sell art for affordable prices, recommend artworks based on personal taste and deliver directly to the customer’s office. Bird in Flight presents seven platforms that do it the smart way.

Oilyoil

Oilyoil online gallery sells the works of young Russian artists for affordable prices – the cheapest pictures here cost 8000 roubles (around $150). Their work is somewhere between inexpensive IKEA prints and the work in highbrow art galleries. Moreover, there is always the chance that one of the sixty artists will become famous, and customers will have the privilege of owning their early works. Disadvantage: the gallery only takes cash paid at the delivery of the order. Advantage: the prices does not exceed 100,000 roubles (around $2000).

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_04.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Anton Totibadze, You Will Feel Better Soon, 46×106 cm, 2015, 70,000 RUB.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_05.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Houdini, Rabbits, Crayons series, acrylic paint, canvas, 80×80 cm, 2015, 30,000 RUB.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_06.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Konstantin Fedorov, Not the End, 110×80, 2015, 60,000 RUB.”}

White Wall Problems

Art expert Mariya Kovalevskaya, from Moscow, decided to restore love and respect to designer prints and launched the project “White Wall Problems.” Mariya believes that a print can’t shouldn’t as a single copy as a painting – and this is why it is less valuable – but on the other hand, the picture on the print remains unique. On her website you can order designer drawings from modern artists, illustrators and architects (up to $500 a piece). Every print is signed and numbered personally by the artist. Her collection of prints is presented as manager choices nd special projects with the series of individual authors.

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_07.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Dina Shchedrinskaya, In Natural Environment, pigment print on cotton paper, 9750 RUB.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_08.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Anton Kannemeyer, N Is for Nightmare, 2013, 25,000 RUB.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_09.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Dmitry Kavko, Rock. The Endless Rotation of the Best Friend, 2013, 5000 RUB.”}

Lumas

Lumas online platform is created for collectors of photo art. The project unites photographers and galleries all over the world and has branches in 19 cities of Europe and America. No more than 100 copies of each print are made. Lumas has works in different price categories, you can find prints under $100.

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_10.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Daniel Reiter. Welle. $2 499.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_11.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Bence Bakonyi. Urban landscape. $1 039.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_12.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Jody MacDonald. Rajan. $1 799.”}

Ziibra

Ziibra start-up allows purchasing works directly from the artists. The project founders find artists, musicians, designers on Instagram and make promo videos. for them. Every one of their artists has a profile on Ziibra where they can write a blog, post new photographs or talk about the creation of their new work step by step.

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_13.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Ila Rose. Moment of Distinction. Archival Print. $350.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_14.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Elena Kulikova. Smokey Bouquet. $405.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_15.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Cheyenne Randall. Ali. $30.”}

Start Your Art

Start Your Art online platform auctions the works of young artists. There is no schedule for bidding – its starts with the first bid and ends in a week. The creators of the project think this system is more effective for continuous sale of works and support of young art. The starting price is set by the website managers in agreement with the artist.

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_16.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Stefan Wanzl-Lawrence. Münchner Strasse. From €440.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_17.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Mister Monji. Без названия. From €290.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_18.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Denis Schäfer. Faltage 8. From €120.”}

Get Art Up

The creators of Get Art Up project decided there is only one way to make art popular – by making it affordable. That’s why the works of young artists are not sold, but rented here. The project has a subscription system, so that the new rented work is delivered to your home or office every month. In other words, if you don’t have time to go to the gallery, the gallery will come to you.

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_19.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Mido Lee. A Guardian Tree, Missouri. $575 or $55 per month.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_20.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Caroline Youngblood. Cotton on Quilt Red Border. $6,000 or $55 a month.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_21.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Percy Cannon. Shadow. $1,500 or $55 a month.”}

Rise Art

A start-up from London, Rise Art, will help those who are not experts at art at all, but already want to buy something. The creators took clothes shops as a model and have manager consultants who help to choose “the one” from the hundreds of artworks. The newcomers are offered to pass a test, чto determine their visual tastes and preferences. After that the manager sends the buyer the selection of works based on the test results. If the buyer can’t afford the item they like, Rise Art meets them halfway and offers them to rent the artwork for several months.

{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_22.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Irene Raspollini. Peep show. £262 or £42 a month.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_23.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Geoffrey Ansel Agrons. Foret (Not My Father’s Eyes). £100 or £25 a month.”},
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/artsell_24.jpg”, “alt”: “”, “text”: “Clinton Kirkpatrick. Girl with plait spitting. £700.”}