The isn’t dead exactly, but like a lot of brick-and-mortar enterprises, it faces lethal challenges in the Internet age.
Artists, who long contended with dealers’ fickle tastes — and their 40 percent cut of the action — are finding it easier to connect with buyers directly.
Collectors, too, have an interest in eliminating the middle man. With a few Web searches, they now can approach painters and sculptors via a quick e-mail, replacing the gallery world’s lofty aura with something a lot less intimidating.
It’s easy to understand why a Web operation like Denver-based Artwork Archive has taken off so quickly.
“The old business model is washed up,” said artist , who paints out of Tucson and sells across the country through the site. “I would never do an exclusive arrangement with a gallery now.”
offered Lee an alternative and, by art world standards, a killer deal. For just $5 a month, it hosts a popular, cloud-based portal where Lee can show off his wares near and far. Customers can link to him with a mouse click. There’s no commission since any transaction is direct, saving artists like Lee, who rang up $20,000 in sales via the site this year, substantial cash.
Artwork Archive didn’t start out as the de facto dealer; the business evolved that way unexpectedly.
At its core, it’s a service provider — a software system that gives artists a control center for their small businesses. With a minimal amount of data entry, ceramicists and print makers can track sales and inventory, keep directories of customer and dealer contacts and store notes on the creation process.
It’s not the same level of support a gallery might offer a contracted name on the roster, but it’s a step forward for many artists, who tend to run their commercial operations like hobbies.
The archive’s customers — and it has signed up nearly 6,000 in just over a year — range from serious artists who make a living off their work to those exploring where their work might fit into the larger market.
“We were really the first, cloud-based solution for artists out there,” said John Feustel, a local entrepreneur who has been involved in several Web-based startups. “We offered a data-driven approach they never had before.”
Inventory control is crucial for artists. Knowing what a piece sold for and where is key to setting prices, a delicate task in a business where the value of an object is fluid and subjective. In addition, artists often need to locate previously sold pieces so they can be borrowed back and included in exhibits.
“They’re building a living archive of their work with this,” said Feustel, “a record of every piece that’s there forever and they can access immediately.”
Feustel developed the programming for Artwork Archive, not as a business, but as a favor for his mother, a painter who needed a way of organizing her operation. But she took to it easily and his business sense told him he was onto something.
He brought in a partner — — and they started offering the product broadly, providing free trials and services at varying levels, up to $14.95 a month. The duo has done little marketing, relying on word-of-mouth and mentions on artist’s blogs and websites.
“I think it’s the first time any of us ever experienced a product that fit the market right out of the gate,” said Anthony, who had previous success starting the local company BrightNest ( in 2013). Since their offering was new, they didn’t have direct competitors to deal with, and they’ve had to do little tinkering with the original model.
But one element of that model emerged as key to their customers: The “public profile” where artists load up bio info and post images. It was meant as a home page of sorts for the data sorting, but artists began reporting that customers were actually happening upon the pages and making purchases.
Anthony and Feustel realized that artists were relying on Artwork Archive’s public exposure as much as they were on its ability to help them print out polished invoices and consignment reports.
That’s led to what Anthony calls, a “natural evolution of the product,” a new feature called “Discovery” that invites the general public to shop for art. They can sift through featured artists, similar to visiting a gallery exhibit, or search by media or location.
“We’re making it so you can find artists in your own backyard,” Anthony said.
Artwork Archive also adapted its data sorting into a version for collectors, which allows them to keep inventories, maintain provenance records and produce reports for insurance companies. It’s one of the ways the founders, who brought in Alice Whitfield to manage operations, hope to monetize their site.
“There’s so much evidence that shows that keeping proper records actually increases the value of collections,” said Anthony.
Still, at $5 a month, Anthony and Feustel don’t appear to be out to make a quick buck. They have enough faith in their product to believe that volume will grow and pay off over time.
The pair, who have volunteered their talents extensively to local nonprofits on the side, are also in it to support artists, they say, who contribute plenty and don’t always profit from those efforts. They’re working from the philosophy that if they do some good, plenty of good will come in return.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540, rrinaldi@denverpost.com or @rayrinaldi
