Best Sites |
Description |
Accolades |
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BEST:It’s the only retail art site we know of where you’re encouraged to haggle. And it has a wonderfully intelligent, concise photography collector’s guide—a rarity. WORST: Because member-galleries supply editorial content on the proffered prints, information on the artists and their works varies widely. And image blowups could be much more generous. |
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Forbes Review: "Holding to the notion that quality is in the eye of the beholder, ArtMecca has jettisoned the esteemed art jury model. In other words, expect to slog. Thank goodness the site has a decent search engine. When we visited, more than 600 contemporary photographs were available, ranging in price from $50 to $500, searchable (in theory) by theme, price, size, medium, dominant color and style. Of those search criteria, style and price proved most problematic. ArtMecca’s matting and framing service looks good in theory; in practice, though, it proved quite tough to calibrate reliable mat color. Bottom line: quality here ranges from amateur to accomplished, making this a viable choice mostly for new collectors looking for affordable, nonchallenging art. Want original? Provocative? Look elsewhere. BEST: Seven-day, money-back guarantee. And you can contact the artists directly. WORST: Little information about the specific photographic medium used." |
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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. BEST: An excellent resource for art world devotees. WORST: Pages crowded with text in tiny type would benefit from a redesign." |
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Collector's
Photo www.collectorsphoto.com |
Forbes Review: "A consignment gallery for buying and selling works by name photographers. Best if you know what you want and are savvy about the market—there’s no editorial content to support the artworks and very little hand-holding. Each artist is represented by only a few images, but quality is high. Final transactions take place offline. Because pricing is determined by the disparate sellers, be sure to check a reliable price guide and ask about condition before purchasing here. BEST: A place for buyers and sellers to sell without a gallery or auction house playing intermediary. WORST:The markup seems steep for such a bare-bones affair: 3% buyer’s fee and 15% seller’s. |
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eArtgroup www.eartgroup.com |
Forbes Review: "For serious collectors. More than 500 photographic images by marquee names dating back to the 19th century. And not just the dregs of their work, but desirable images, from Edward Curtis’ portrait of Geronimo ($15,000) to one of Sally Mann’s riveting portraits of her daughter Jesse ($9,500). You’ll find works by classics like Walker Evans and Eugène Atget, cutting-edge stars like Shimon Attie and fine, affordable images by unknowns for $200 and up. Unfortunately, you can’t get pricing and artist information unless you register on the site. And too many of the works come up empty in the artist and catalog information departments. But searching by artist, style or price is easy, and you can e-mail an expert at any time with questions about the work. BEST: Quality work, established dealers, broad selection. Ability to zoom in on details. WORST:Eartgroup charges its dealer-members a 10% seller's commission, which may get passed along in the price to buyers. |
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Eyestorm www.eyestorm.com |
Forbes Review: "A swanky Brit site specializing in limited-edition works by cutting-edge artists. Choose from an eclectic, well-chosen artist list, from the famous (soup-can master Andy Warhol) to the infamous (animals-in-formaldehyde shockmeister Damien Hirst). Whether your tastes run to froofy 1940s fashion photographers (Erwin Blumenfeld), biting social documentarians (Alfredo Jaar), or even out-there performance artists (Marina Abramovic), Eyestorm’s worth a click. We rate the site highly for its intriguing roster and affordability. Drawbacks include an annoying hipper-than-thou editorial tone. BEST: A well-chosen roster of artists. Create your own virtual collection. WORST: The Delve section—an overdesigned attempt at educational content that revolves (literally) around buzzwords." |
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Guild.com www.guild.com
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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. BEST: You can commission artists to create a custom masterpiece. Also: a great search feature. WORST: Some prices for lesser-known artists seem overblown." |
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EW review: "You, an art collector? Certainly. This site has more than 3,500 original paintings and sculptures from artists who may be the next...well, you know. You don't need to be an expert--nextmonet's jury of art historians, professors, and curators reviews artists before allowing them to peddle their creations. These ain't cheapo dorm prints--you'll drop four digits for some--but, of course, uniqueness has its price. A" |
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| Sotheby's www.sothebys.com |
Forbes
Review: "First, Sothebys.Amazon.com. Now Sothebys.com.
What’s the difference? Mostly price. Both offer art, antiques, and
collectibles, but Sothebys.com projects a slightly more upscale image.
With prices ranging from a few hundred bucks to tens of thousands,
Sothebys.com offers a decidedly mixed bag of antiques and collectibles. A
rare Frank Lloyd Wright chair and mint-condition Chippendale desk mingle
with stuff that looks as if it was culled from Grandma’s summer cottage.
There are some gems here: Among minor (and surprisingly affordable)
autographed papers by presidents and confederate generals lurked a
hand-written Einstein manuscript on unified field theory. We saw a late
19th-century Edison Universal Stock Ticker, estimated at $12,000 to
$18,000. For the cream of Sotheby’s offerings, you’ll still need to
purchase catalogs of its live auctions. Online versions of these
publications are incomplete and, for now at least, without illustrations.
BEST: Sothebys.com’s educational connoisseur guides. WORST: The exceptions to its authenticity guarantee, for instance: "The Authenticity Guarantee does not apply to the authorship of Chinese and Japanese paintings, regardless of the date of creation." |
Forbes Selection in Best of the Web Forbes 9-11-00 |
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ZoneZero www.zonezero.com |
Forbes Review: "You can’t buy photography directly on this site, but you can browse and learn and chat. Put together by noted photographer and curator Pedro Meyer, Zonezero features well- chosen exhibitions of contemporary international photographers working in the digital medium. Browse from the artist portfolios—a broadly international mix—and if you see something you like, you can e-mail the artist directly. Portfolios are arranged by subject: landscape, portrait, nude, experimental and documentary. A chatty magazine offers content of interest and the shop (linked to Amazon for e-commerce) sells an intelligent selection of photography books and digital cameras. BEST: High-quality work and the only site we visited that took pains to help you calibrate your computer’s monitor to optimize viewing. WORST: Artist portfolios are limited to five images each." |
Other Sites |
Link to Reviews |
| www.artimix.com | Forbes 9-11-00 |
| www.visualize.com | Forbes 9-11-00 |
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