Essentially a glorious online catalogue, the site features 7,500 original contemporary artworks that have been bought directly from a mixture of emerging and more established artists around the world. So far, the platform represents the work of over 400 artists from forty countries.
Art Gazette’s founders – Nigel Hurst, Martin Epstein and Morne Visagie – have as strong an art-world pedigree as can be. Hurst is a former CEO of the Saatchi Gallery in London; Epstein is a collector, entrepreneur, philanthropist and passionate champion of emerging African and international artists; and Visagie is an experienced curator based in Cape Town.
The knowledgeable trio have been sourcing, commissioning and buying art for the site since 2019, offering a lifeline to artists whose income would otherwise have been decimated by the pandemic.
Hurst says: ‘The past year has been unimaginably challenging for artists around the world, so we are delighted to launch Art Gazette as a viable, alternative revenue stream at a time when many artists are struggling to make ends meet.
‘As we begin to emerge into a post-Covid world, it is critical that the visual arts sector continues to innovate and create new opportunities for artists and buyers.
‘Through Art Gazette, we are connecting artists with those who wish to acquire and display their work, be it in public or private, and in doing so help create more beautiful, creative spaces for people to live, work and play in.’
Art Gazette’s sustainable model is unusual. The interactive site is as supportive of its artists as it is of its customers. Nobody loses.
An artist who wants his work to be sold on the site is invited to submit it via an online portal. The Art Gazette team will then review the work. If it is selected, Art Gazette will pay the artist within 10 days of the piece having been received, checked and approved. If it is not selected, the artist will receive feedback and, usually, be encouraged to try again in the future.
The team says: ‘Art Gazette has inverted art market norms by acquiring work directly from artists and paying for them up front, thereby creating an ongoing and regular revenue stream for artists whilst operating in synergy with their exhibition and gallery commitments.’
Buyers, meanwhile, must register with the site and purchase a selection of ten or more pieces – in a range of mediums including painting, drawing, collage, photography, print, sculpture and textiles – from at a time. This unique system is feasible because Art Gazette’s works are deliberately small and affordable. (If it sounds daunting, check out what’s on offer and you will have no problem filling your fantasy basket.) The team offers excellent advice on what would make a good group of pictures and can help with framing and installing, too.
The site itself is colourful, energetic, youthful and easy to navigate.
The Covid crisis has forced almost every industry to tweak the way they do business. We’ve all had to adapt or wither. Amid that rocky landscape, Art Gazette looks set to flourish.
By Becky Ladenburg
May 2021
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