Virtual art fair uses big guns to woo collectors
Buyers at fairs like Art BAsel could soon be thinking online.
Scott Reyburn
THE internet revolution has at last reached international art fairs, with a new event testing the willingness of buyers to shop online for contemporary works.
Billionaire collectors and their agents spend weeks each year travelling the world to art events such as Art Basel. Now they are being urged to save time and money and buy from home at the virtual VIP Art Fair, announced this month.
”Just out of curiosity, VIP is going to attract a lot of visitors,” says Todd Levin, a New York art adviser and curator. ”People have become confident about buying from J-PEGs [digital photos], as long as they can be sure about the condition of a piece.”
If VIP is a success, other online events may follow and traditional fairs may have to enhance their web presence, dealers say. The event will challenge the internet’s reputation for being mainly a selling platform for lower-value artworks. VIP will offer pieces by artists such as Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Damien Hirst and Andreas Gursky.
