BestShopSites
Bottom Line Rating*

Best Sites
Capsules/Description

Accolades

+++

Circline
www.circline.com

Forbes Review: "Blue chip all the way—but expect to pay sky-high prices. Inventory is heavy in old masters and other pricey works, like an early Maurice de Vlaminck canvas ($3.5 million). The quality’s high in most media, except photography. Prints include works by Rembrandt, Pissarro and Warhol. Don’t miss the Piranesi prints of monumental Roman columns ($41,600) or the lovely series of 17th-century German botanicals ($8,500 each). The rich sculpture area includes a marble Greco-Roman torso ($75,000) and an ancient Egyptian mummy cover ($110,000). You can buy online, but we don’t suggest it. Window-shop online but close the deal at least with some phone calls. Checks or wire transfer only; no credit cards." (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Top-Rated Favorite in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

ArtNet
www.artnet.com

Forbes Review: "With more than 185,000 artists represented and 1.8 million auction records from over 500 houses, Artnet has become a valuable resource for collectors. It also has a splendid online magazine—a fun read refreshingly free of jargon. There’s impressive international coverage of the gallery scene, museum exhibitions and auction doings. Handy links to services such as appraisers, conservators and framers. Useful links to some hard-to-find art periodicals. The online bookstore, though slow to browse, offers 14,000 art titles. For serious collectors, there’s a comprehensive auction electronic database, but it costs $29.95 a month to subscribe. There's also an e-mail auction alert for artists you're trying to track down, but it costs $59.95 per year....An excellent resource for art world devotees." (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Selection  in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Eyestorm
www.eyestorm.com

Forbes Review: "Hippest art shopping on the Web. Admired in insider circles for fairly priced photography, prints and new media by a roster of the art world’s young turks, like Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst. Images can be easily viewed in great-size thumbnails or full-screen blowups. Artist bios are rich and interesting. And the site hosts themed debates and live chats with artists....Provocative art at good prices." (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Selection  in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Guild.com
www.guild.com

Forbes Review: "Treasure trove of new talent. Best known for its handcrafted artisan wares, Guild.com also features painting, sculpture, photography and prints. Prices range from $100 for a digital print to several hundred thousand dollars for a large sculptural work evoking an ancient burial. A few “names” crop up: Don’t miss the William Wegman playing-card prints featuring his famous dogs....You can commission artists to create a custom masterpiece. Also: a great search feature." (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Selection  in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Onview
www.onview.com

Forbes Review: "Primarily 20th-century art, strongest in photography and prints. When we visited, highlights included a large, lusciously patterned Jennifer Bartlett pastel for $25,000 and a lively collection of vintage celeb photographs. Our favorite: a young Brando with bongos ($1,000). A new Print Room beefs up blue-chip offerings. Site allows you to haggle and will help you to locate desired works. Rich editorial area includes artist profiles, market watch and excellent collecting guides....The Print Room’s virtual exhibitions: impeccably designed, informative and fun" (Forbes--click here for full review)

Forbes Selection  in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00

Other Sites
Capsules/Description

Link to Reviews

"A small site offering work by "emerging and unexpected" artists working in traditional media. Quality varies widely. Search capability is limited to categories such as "representations" and "abstractions" with individual artists' portfolios available in each section." (Forbes--click here for full review)

"If you're considering gallery-hopping, then check out the dealer listings on this site. While there are only about two dozen of them, each gallery features information on their artists with enticing visuals.... And don't expect to find anything to buy, at least yet. Plans are vague for limited-edition print auctions. Navigation is frustrating" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"No bidding here. In a surprising reversal last fall, Christies decided to indefinitely postpone its entry into the online auction race. As a result, this site remains pure brochureware, with little more than the usual descriptions of sales departments and services."  (Forbes--click here for full review)

"No onsite art buying art here--only a few teaser works by big-name artists like Daumier and Degas. If you want to see prices, though, you have to become a member, and if you want to buy, you need to get on the horn. Also on tap: services ranging from art consulting (for "pre-qualified" buyers) to commissioning a portrait or public sculpture." (Forbes--click here for full review)

"You could do better at one of those schlocky motel art fairs. Great Collections was intended to be eBay's higher-end business-to-consumer site, with dealer- and auction house-supplied lots ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Alas, the fine art inventory is uniformly cheesy" (Forbes--click here for full review)

"Moving to a new city for a year? Decorating a new office? Need to set the mood for a big event? Then consider leasing art. Short-term (under 90 days) and long-term plans are available, all insured by Lloyds of London and backed by full-service framing, shipping, and hanging. The art, drawn from museum storage rooms, gallery back rooms and private collections, tends toward the traditional --and the decorative. But if you can endure the site's serpentine navigation, there are gems to be found." (Forbes--click here for full review)

"Inventory has hardly changed a whit since we reviewed this site last quarter, with some two dozen high-quality works by mostly B-level artists, ranging in price from $22,000 and $225,000. Lesser works by artists like Gilbert Stuart, JMW Turner, Thomas Gainsborough and Rene Magritte have languished here. The descriptive texts, however, are solid and informative. Unlike most art sites, this one frequently offers information on provenance (ownership history)." (Forbes--click here for full review)

"Rife with mistakes (Paul Cezanne is referred to as "Se'zanne"), omissions, and misleading attributions, this site offers a sorry selection of works. And for the names you do recognize, authenticity would be a question.... Steer clear." (Forbes--click here for full review)

"A user-friendly site aimed at nurturing new collectors. When we visited, more than 8,000 artworks were offered: contemporary paintings, sculptures, prints and photographs, priced from $300 to $100,000. These artists may not be household names—yet. But the site's curators aim for well-crafted, accessible work well supported by helpful artist information." (Forbes--click here for full review)

"Looking for a decorative painting that fits over your couch, matches your carpet and is done by an artist from, say, Armenia? This easy-to-use site lets you choose subject, color, price, style--even the country and reputation of the artist. Work is stylistically very tame and quality is middling. But the search engine has become much more powerful and precise since we last reviewed this site, encompassing some 10 criteria and yielding far more relevant hits." (Forbes--click here for full review)

"Sotheby’s expertise is evident in the site's ever-growing cache of collecting guides on topics ranging from Asian Furniture to Watches. But the quality of its art offerings is deeply disappointing. While inventory is robust, works by known artists seem to be harder to find than when the site first launched.... While the image enlargements have improved, thumbnail pics are still far too tiny to be of any use and the white screen background produces a washed-out look. And that 10% premium still smarts." (Forbes--click here for full review)