The digitalisation of the art market gives more control to the artist and more choice to the consumer, says Jen Bayne.
Online technology breaks down the gallery walls and opens doors to customers around the world who are able to study works up close in pixel-perfect reproduction. They can explore every texture and brush-mark with such intimacy as to bring the art into the home via the computer or tablet screen. The widespread proliferation of social media makes discovering and connecting with artists more personal. The voice of the community therefore becomes more influential than that of the gallery and consumers can be reached wherever they are thanks to mobile developments.
We want to allow the mass market to buy into the authentic art market
Never has it been so easy to discover art and broaden your tastes, as well as owning authentic art without its supposed designer price tag. Our purpose is just that – to make art easier to sell and easier to buy. The Artfinder marketplace allows customers to buy authentic art direct from independent artists and galleries – no reproductions, no open-ended editions and no fakes. Any artist can apply, and once our review team accepts an application the artist is free to set up their shop in their own time. The artists manage everything, from uploading works, choosing their pricing and deciding which countries they ship to and at what cost. When a purchase is made, they are then responsible for fulfilling the safe delivery of the work, and are paid once our free 14-day return period is cleared.
We want to empower artists to become their own marketers – to look beyond the matriarchal protection the galleries have traditionally offered and encourage them to find new audiences, to price their own work and to become their own sales rep. We have seen how quickly artists learn what gets traction with consumers. Seeing what sells and gets engagement regularly encourages the artist to upload more of the same kind of work and to adapt their shop to fit the needs of those who are buying their work. It is an empowering feeling to know that you are helping artists find the right buyers, regardless of their geographic location or position within the art world.
To get the most out of Artfinder, customers can follow artists, receive notifications when they upload new works for purchase as well as time-limited discounts. We aim to create a more personalised shopping experience which connects the consumer directly with the artist in a real and affirming way.
Buying direct is a global trend that seeks to reconnect the consumer with the maker, cutting out the middle man and forging more honest and sustainable relationships. And it is the same for art: buying direct from the artist connects a customer with the artist. Before the digital developments of the art market, finding and buying a perfect piece within a budget would have been extremely difficult. It was a market resilient to change and not ready to open its ‘doors’ to the mass market.
This signals the start of a bridging process between the high-end art market – valued at $30 billion – and the low-end reproductions market valued at $70 billion. The high-end market has few customers and limited stock, whereas the low end is mass market and the stock is infinite and valueless. We want to allow the mass market to buy into the authentic art market, the middle market that is at the moment undefined and in the process of being shaped. This democratisation disrupts the market, and rightly so, making it more personal and engaging, and ultimately, rewarding for both the artist and the consumer.
Jen Bayne is the Marketing Manager at Artfinder.
www.artfinder.com
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