Online art galleries have started catching up as an alternative to offline shows held at far off places. Sales and the number of orders placed online are increasing along with the number of hits.
Gourang Jalan, director of Jagriti Art Initiative, said while 70% of the sales are event-based, rest are done through online booking.
For an art buyer, the look and feel of a painting is important. However, online is a potent medium and increasing disposable income has geared up online sales of art, Jalan said.
Tanusree Somani, a partner of the recently launched online art gallery ‘artmile.com’, said showcasing young and upcoming artists online has a lot of potential. Their work is appreciated in geographies where they could not reach.
The recent Art Mile exhibition featured 16 upcoming artists from Bengal like Partho Dasgupta, Sujit Das and Aloke Sardar. The gallery features a combination of inks, water-based paints, acrylic and oil media. Apto Bhattacharya’s painting was sold at Rs 80,000 and Aloke Sardar’s at Rs 55,000. “We have made arrangements with Google for optimisation of number of hits,” said Vandita Jhunjhunwala of Art Mile.
The paintings sold online come with an authentication certificate from the seller. “Buyers can even check the authenticity with agencies like Ocean and Christie’s,” Jalan said.
Online art gallery Saffronart provides an assurance on behalf of the seller that each piece at sale on the site is a genuine work of the artist listed.
However, if the art piece is found to be inauthentic, Saffronart refunds the full purchase price and shipping costs.
The guarantee holds for one year after the purchase of the original artwork from the art site.
With such guarantees from the seller, the buyer is at comfort to buy or order online, said Jalan.