Art.sy is a new, controversial way to
discover and buy art. The website launched by the 24 years old Carter Cleveland is the
son of the digital revolution that transformed an unthinkable mass of tangible
spaces and objects in digital form. Imagine combining the stylish and
fascinating layout of the Google Art Project with the Amazon recommendation algorithm,
imagine then a website which aims at attracting the wealthiest people in the
world in a unique art marketplace accessible any time anywhere. This is Art.sy.
A minimalistic but functional interface
guides virtual visitors through the white walls
of the gallery. A simple browse system allows choosing style, region, medium
and subject of the pieces available: navigating through the hundreds of
pictures and paintings is undeniably straightforward.
Every time we click on a work an algorithm
will show similar pieces underneath. By simply starring a work it will be
automatically added to our private gallery where it will be readily accessible
for display in the future.
It takes only a few minutes to realize the
quality of the collection; it’s no surprise that behind it there is one of the
most influential American art dealers: Larry Gagosian.
Since Art.sy is a for-profit website most
of the works are on sales and prices are usually shown or can be requested
contacting our private specialist.
The website manages to be user-friendly
and at the same time recreates that aseptic environment typical of nowadays art
galleries.
But what is left afterwards? There is no
participation of the viewer without the work put in a physical context. Everything
is flattened: light, the supreme companion of every artist is splatted on the
works with deadly uniformity.
Art.sy is an interesting business idea on
the wake of the success of Amazon or Pandora, it is also a powerful tool to
broaden one’s artistic horizons in an effortless way and it will be probably solve
some geographical difficulties of well-off art lovers. Nevertheless looking
through the high quality images of Art.sy is an experience closer to leafing
through an Ikea catalogue than visiting an art gallery.