10 Tips For Collecting Art Online

Featured on complex.com

How can a Kour Pour be an impulse buy or the latest Chris Succo show sell out before ever leaving the studio? The swift currency of digital images have revolutionized the art market and the jpeg has become the single most ubiquitous sales tool with nearly 90% of galleries selling works sight unseen* through email, text, and online.While before a dealer needed a back room, now all they need is a smartphone.

Buying online is nothing new, but has yet to revolutionize the art market in the same way that it has disrupted the spheres of fashion and music. Although the art world has converted to digital tools, only 7% of sales reportedly come from strictly online transactions. However, this figure is rapidly growing and galleries, major auction houses, and collectors are investing in and recognizing the internet’s potential to create a new international marketplace, provide accessibility, and create transparency within the market.

Here is your insider guide for how to get started collecting online and find that perfect painting from Padua, the drawing from Delhi, or the sculpture from São Paulo—without the exhaustive travel budget!

Do Research.

The Internet is an amazing resource that offers everyone an opportunity to learn about and discover art. Before making a commitment to buying, delve in to affirm your interest. If you know the artist already, read in-depth articles and browse works by the artist’s peers to know whether you want to proceed. If you are looking for a place to start, check out art fair previews or browse by theme or medium.

Check out the artist's site, Artsy, and Instagram.

This is your trifecta of tools for getting to know an artist. The artist’s website will have basic resources like a CV and biography along with examples of past work. Artsy is a tool for seeing all of the galleries that the artist shows with, current inventory, and the artist within the context of their peers. (Artsy also links to the gallery pages if you want to learn more.) Instagram is the newest indispensable art tool. Just type in the hashtag symbol (#) and the artist’s name to get an unfiltered look at their practice through the eyes of many individuals—as well as to quickly establish which collectors and curators are also interested in their works.

Consider your space and budget.

An obvious tip but it's obligatory in the process: Set a few parameters around space and budget. Consider the context of the artwork. Will it be the central focus of the living room or a more intimate piece for the powder room? Even within one artist’s oeuvre (from Roy Lichtenstein toSterling Ruby or Gregory Crewdson), the price range is enormous given the medium, size, and edition of the individual works.

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