It’s no secret that the art world is going through a prolonged courtship with cutting-edge tech (industries with benefits?). Truth be told, we proud museum nerds at Sartle get tickled when some killer new gizmo comes along that offers a unique way to engage with art, artists, and museums.
Today, however, we got word straight outta Central Europe about a cool app in development that aims to democratize one of the most important parts of the art creation cycle: art sales. This app, called ArtOpen (forgive the site its quaintness, it knows not what it do, and it should be supplanted by a better one soon enough), will allow established artists and amateurs alike the chance to bring their works directly to customers. Users will be able voice their opinions about the art by voting on their favorite works with a like, a la ye olde Facebook.
Users that spread the love with copious likes will get a special status similar to Yelp Elite. Artworks of the month will be determined by special juries composed of legit art historians, gallerists, critics, and other folk with the proper pedigree to guarantee good taste. Full disclosure, artists can choose to sell their wares on ArtOpen, though are not required to, and the app and site will charge for their services by tacking on a 20% buyer’s premium to every purchase.
After its as yet unscheduled release, we’ll see how ArtOpen, which fancies itself as an alternative to the traditional gallery, fares among competitors that unabashedly and openly partner with those traditional galleries. Regardless of its commercial ambitions, the truly great thing about ArtOpen is that it’s trying to level the playing field in a stereotypically crowded and unequal space.
Sr. Contributor