Amazon on Tuesday added "purveyor of fine art" to its e-commerce business creds, opening Amazon Art, a marketplace to view and purchase fine art created by contemporary and classical artists.
Will any consumers consider putting "Fragment de Nympheas," a framed oil painting by Claude Monet, in their cart for US$2.5 million (+ free shipping)? Or will Amazon Art become a place where art lovers go to view this and other masterpieces -- that is, a virtual museum?
In actuality, the Amazon Art marketplace will sell a range of works from galleries from around the globe featuring contemporary artists, with just a sprinkling of very high-profile pieces. Amazon initially is offering pieces from more than 150 galleries and dealers, showcasing 4,500 artists. There were more than 40,000 works of fine art listed at the outset, and the catalog will grow.
Galleries on the Amazon Art roster are located across the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Europe, including in the UK and the Netherlands. Some of the high-profile galleries include Paddle8 in New York, Holden Luntz in Miami, McLoughlin Gallery in San Francisco, Modernbrook in San Francisco, Catherin Person Gallery in Seattle, and GallerieCiti in the Bay area. While Amazon could include individual artists in the future, it is strictly dealing with galleries and dealers for starters.
At launch the store offered works from Andy Warhol, Claude Monet, Norman Rockwell and other renowned artists.
