The Future of Selling Art: Why This Is a Good Thing

Yeah, I know, there are thousands of artists peddling their works on eBay, but how many of them auction in the hundred’s of thousands of dollars? If they’re coming straight from the artist then the answer is none, but why can’t there be high-priced auctions over the Internet like there are in famous auction houses? Well, eBay and Phillips are teaming up to do just that, and that’s great news for everyone. Why? Because this is the future of art.

Think for a moment where artists sell. Mostly it’s to collectors via brick and mortar galleries, websites, at fairs, or in-studio. Now think where musicians sell. How many CD stores do you see out there? I think galleries will always exist, but this takes things to another level. We’re not just talking about buying some random artist online; we’re talking about established, auction-able artists online, just like we see on the Internet today. Anyone with an Internet connection can buy any band anywhere in the world (with some copywrite exceptions). Now we’re talking about artists being able to sell directly to collectors via art auction sites.

This could be a fundamental shift in how artists sell in the future because once this barrier is broken down then there won’t be the barriers to the market that we see today. Yes, high-priced auctions will still need critics to critique art that has value, and that barrier will still exist (rightfully so – it’s beneficial to the community for this to exist), but what will exist is the idea that someone with wealth won’t have to leave his or her house to buy high-valued art. And this is a big deal because that barrier makes art less accessible today than it could be. By opening the market to new collectors auction prices will go higher. That means more collectors and more money in the market. This can only be a good thing for the future of art.