artnet is an online service provider for the international art

Art

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

 market with headquarters in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 and Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. Additionally, artnet has regional offices in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, the UK and Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

.

Business model

artnet is a trade platform for the international art market, including fine art

Fine art

Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....

s, decorative arts and design

Design

Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...

. It provides services allowing its clients to attain price transparency, giving them an effective overview of the art market and enabling them to contact galleries

Art gallery

An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...

 directly. The network caters specifically to art dealers, as well as buyers.

Services

The primary service of this business is artnet online auctions. The artnet Fine Art and Design Price Database and the artnet Decorative Art Price Database contain 6 million auction sale results since 1985 from over 550 international auction houses. Market value and long-term price developments of artworks can be researched online.

An additional key product is the artnet online Gallery Network, consisting of more than 2,200 international galleries worldwide. Collectors are able to search by artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

, movement

Art movement

An art movement is a tendency or style in art with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a restricted period of time, or, at least, with the heyday of the movement defined within a number of years...

 and medium

Media (arts)

In the arts, a media or medium is a material used by an artist or designer to create a work.-Architecture:In the art and science of architecture, the design and construction of buildings and interiors, infrastructure and other physical structures are created...

 and can contact sellers directly. This service is free of charge for collectors while galleries pay a monthly fee.

This range of services is completed by an independent online art magazine, alerts by email of newly available artworks, online auctions, a digital library of artist works catalogues, and an international exhibition

Art exhibition

Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...

 calendar, among other services.

1989–1995

artnet was founded in 1989 by Pierre Sernet as Centrox Corporation and subsequently changed its name to Artnet in 1995. A group of investors mostly Venture Capitalists and art professionals, including Hans Neuendorf, came on board in May 1990. The company’s initial product was an illustrated auction records database accessible via fax, proprietary software and dial-up connection, providing a quick market overview for collectors and dealers. Hans Neuendorf, one of artnet’s founders and a former gallery owner himself, was made CEO in 1995.

1996–2006

The artnet Price Database was migrated to the internet in 1996. Since then, the artnet Gallery Network, artnet Magazine and additional information services have comprised a website which is essential to collectors, sellers and art aficionados alike.

artnet Worldwide is a wholly owned subsidiary of artnet AG, which was incorporated as artnet.com AG in 1998 in Germany. In 1999, artnet.com AG went public on the Neuer Markt at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange

Frankfurt Stock Exchange

The Frankfurt Stock Exchange is the world's 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. Located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is owned and operated by Deutsche Börse, which also owns the European futures exchange Eurex and the clearing company...

. The name of the company was officially changed to artnet AG in 2002. In October that year, artnet AG left the Neuer Markt and has since been listed in the General Standard at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, a segment of the EU-regulated Geregelter Markt.

In 2004, artnet launched its German website, artnet.de, which includes a German language magazine.

2007–present

As of February 1, 2007, artnet AG has been included in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In 2008, artnet launched fine art online auctions in a move to provide the advantages of the internet to an international audience. Effectively lowering transaction costs and turn-around time in comparison to traditional auction houses, artnet evolves as a transaction platform creating increased liquidity in the art market.

In October 2008, artnet’s French website, artnet.fr, went online. It also includes a French language magazine which offers a critical overview of the French art market.

In addition to its English newsletter, artnet has offered a German monthly newsletter since October 2008. This service is free to the public and provides its readers with news about artists, galleries, art fairs, auctions and other art events with a focus on the German art market.

In February 2009, artnet’s new database Price Database: Decorative Art went online. It contains auction sale results of antiques from furniture and silver to rugs and clocks since 2000.

Artnet Magazine contributors

• Alexandra Anderson-Spivy
• Michèle C. Cone
• Ben Davis
• Hunter Drohojowska-Philp
• Charlie Finch
• Thomas Hoving
• Laura K. Jones
• N. F. Karlins
• Elisabeth Kley
• Mark Kostabi
• Donald Kuspit
• Brook S. Mason
• Steve Mumford
• Reverend Jen
• Walter Robinson, editor
• Jerry Saltz
  Jerry Saltz
  Jerry Saltz is an American art critic. Since 2006, he has been senior art critic and a columnist for New York magazine. Formerly the senior art critic for The Village Voice, Saltz has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism three times. He was the sole advisor for the 1995 Whitney...
  
  
• James Croak

Collaboration

In 2004, artnet and the international auction house Sotheby’s began their collaboration.

In 2007, the close collaboration between artnet and Art Basel

Art Basel

Art Basel is an international contemporary art fair held each June in Basel, Switzerland. Similar to the Venice Biennale, it has been called "the Olympics of the art world". Art Basel features nearly 300 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa...

/ Art Basel Miami Beach started.

Clients

artnet’s clients include private collectors, galleries, appraisers, museums, auctioneers, insurance companies and government agencies such as the IRS and the FBI.

External links

• artnet.com artnet.de artnet.fr Official websites