Back to Basics: Making Sense of Internet Insanity

Art Business News, Dec, 2000 by Robert Plummer

Learn what the growing presence of the Web will mean for brick-and-mortar galleries

A visit to the Internet search engine Yahoo! is all it takes to see how intertwined the art and Internet worlds have become. Type the word "art" in the search space at Yahoo! and you're told that there are 39,999 sites for you to visit. That's 39,999 now; at the rate that artists and galleries are creating new home pages, that number could topple 50,000 next year.

Amid the thousands of Web sites and millions of pieces of artwork for sale on the Internet, analysts say it is impossible to determine what revenue art has generated on the Internet. The growth of art Web sites is a sign that there is money to be made.

But if people are buying art on the Internet, does that mean it's coming at the expense of the local gallery or frame shop? Not exactly. While it's far too early to determine how the rapid expansion of art and frame sales on the Internet will shake out for "brick-and-mortar" stores, it is clear that the Web could add to gallery and frame shops' bottom lines.

What is clear is the art industry is making a decided shift into the online world. With a click of a button, a customer sitting at home or work can have a framed Ernesto Rodriguez landscape print with a black wood frame and ivory mat shipped to their doorstep for $400.

And online art buying isn't the only change the Internet is creating. In October OneMade.com launched an online art and crafts festival where Internet browsers and buyers shopped for one-of-a-kind handmade works. Many museums already have online stores and larger museums, like the Museum of Modern Art in New York, allow an online visitor to view a number of paintings in various collections in crisp, clear color.

The Internet has gained importance in all levels of the art world, from $50 prints to $40,000 works of art. But where do you turn to get your feet wet before diving into the online art world?

First, it may be comforting to know that there are two distinctly different Web sites out there serving the art community--one, is the business-to-customer (B2C) site, the second is business-to-business (B2B).

B2B, sites are geared toward businesses working with businesses before products reach the end user. Those differ from B2C sites that sell items online directly to the customer.

FrameYourArt.com is one of those business-to-business sites in the industry. Charging a monthly fee to members, now approximately 1,000 `mom and pop' frame shops,

In this world of dot.com mania, there are literally hundreds of Web sites devoted to art, so singling out a single one is tough. But in an effort to get you plugged in, here's a glimpse at three sites that offer Web opportunities for galleries and publishers.

                    ALL ART PORTAL         ART AFFAIRS
                    www.allartportal.com   www.artaffairs.com

MISSION STATEMENT   The site is            A Web portal for the
                    dedicated to the       global professional art
                    needs of publishers,   and framing community,
                    photographers, art     ArtAffairs.com features
                    buyers,                a directory and exposure
                    manufacturers and      and access to databases
                    the independent        of prospective art and
                    frame shop and         moulding trade clients,
                    gallery owner.         suppliers and publishers
                    Meeting needs by       with no third party
                    providing software,    involvement.
                    support and service
                    and creating
                    profitable
                    relationships is a
                    company goal.

TARGETED FOR        A true B2B and B2C     The site is strictly B2B
                    site, it allows        and is targeted at the
                    consumers to buy art   art and framing
                    online but links       industries, publishers
                    those customers        and distributors and
                    directly to frame      galleries, not the
                    shops in their area.   general public.
                    The local frame shop
                    makes the sale.
                    AllArtPortal.com
                    makes its revenue
                    from participating
                    frame shops paying a
                    membership fee.

SETS THEM APART     Under the              ArtAffairs.com will be
                    AllArtPortal.com       circulating a printed
                    umbrella is Frame      version of its Web site
                    YourArt.com, a site    to further promote
                    that offers members    business activities and
                    exclusive sales on     new product
                    wholesale art and      announcements as they
                    framing products.      take place online. With
                    The site is also       the launch of
                    designed as a          ArtAffairs.com's new
                    centralized site for   e-commerce center, the
                    art professionals      buying and selling of
                    and offers a variety   art and art supplies
                    of features designed   will become the primary
                    to help art            focus of the site.
                    professionals
                    navigate the Web and
                    stay on top of the
                    news.

QUOTE FROM THE      Al Marco, c.e.o.:      Meir Gluzberg, director:
PRESIDENT           "The moment I          "Our site will soon
                    started the Web        focus strictly on the
                    site, I had the        business to business
                    small businesses in    aspect. We have a more
                    mind. Our mission is   global view with offices
                    facilitating the off   in Europe and Asia, and
                    line with the online   we believe we will offer
                    community."            our customers the
                                           greatest price
                                           advantages."

SPECIAL FEATURE     You can look up        The "Take a Poll"
                    stock quotes and the   feature allows visitors
                    site offers a direct   to cast a vote on
                    link to the Weather    certain art-related
                    Channel's Web site.    questions. The site also
                                           has a "Today in Art
                                           History" section and a
                                           "Quote of the Day."

                    ART WORLD COMMUNITY
                    www.artworldcommunity.com

MISSION STATEMENT   ArtWorldCommunity.com is a place for consumers,
                    art enthusiasts, artists and businesses in the
                    art and framing industry to come together for
                    commerce, education, entertainment and
                    information. The community is separated into two
                    distinct sites called the Art World Marketplace,
                    which is open to the public and the Art and
                    Framing Exchange, a password protected site for
                    trade only.

TARGETED FOR        The Web portal is attempting to bring the
                    fragmented art industry into one global online art
                    community marketplace and to uncover e-commerce
                    potential. The site has the feel of a financial or
                    commodity exchange where art is the commodity.

SETS THEM APART     The site is very consumer oriented and offers
                    various auctions that offer fine art, jewelry,
                    housewares and a host of other products.

QUOTE FROM THE      Steve Addi, c.e.o.: "We don't see a lot of new
PRESIDENT           players coming into the online art world. The cost
                    to get involved is too prohibitive and the sites
                    are up and running now clearly have a huge
                    advantage."

SPECIAL FEATURE     A host of features geared toward the financial
                    aspect of art, including a "Currency Conversion"
                    section and a news ticker.