On Tuesday, a day after Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post, the site announced Amazon Art, a venture with top art dealers to provide shoppers with an opportunity to buy pieces by Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali and others online.
Amazon Art has work available from 4,500 artists and 150 dealers, including anything from a Norman Rockwell piece for $4.5 million to a $10 screen print from new artist Ryan Humphrey, notes The New York Times. The online retail giant will be competing with Artsy and Artnet, two sites that have had success selling art online, along with Paddle8, an art auction site.
“We're thrilled to bring the excitement and emotional connection of art to our customers,” Peter Faricy of Amazon Marketplace said, reports the BBC. “Amazon Art gives galleries a way to bring their passion and expertise about the artists they represent to our millions of customers.”
Consumers can look at work based on style, artist, price range and medium. Amazon also provides detailed information on the art and the artist for each piece.
“I think we'll begin to see a whole new breed of art collector,” Jodie and Joshua Steen of LusterNYC in Brooklyn said, notes the BBC. “I think we'll begin to see a whole new breed of art collector. That's good for everyone - the galleries, artists and customers.”
Bezos purchased the Washington Post for $250 million on Monday.
image: Amazon.com