Museum professionals back new contemporary art sales platform

Collectionair, a new art website billed as a platform where collectors can purchase works for under $10,000, has received support from museum professionals such as Jean-Hubert Martin, the former director of the Musée National d’Art Moderne at the Centre Pompidou, Gareth Harris of the Art Newspaper reports.

The new company, Collectionair, focuses mainly on established and emerging artists from “under-represented art scenes”, enabling buyers to browse more than 20 virtual exhibitions. Collectionair Curates team promises to "bring you emerging art exhibitions from around the world, tapping into artist studios, residencies and other hard-to-reach artistic hubs".

Collectionair was co-founded by Olivier Varenne, the international curator at the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania, and the entrepreneur Valerie Konde who worked for the company Rocket Internet and Google.

The pair say in a statement: “Our online exhibitions [which run for 40 to 60 days] are organised by curators from around the world, that come highly recommended by our advisory committee, and select 20 to 30 works.”

The advisory board includes Jean-Hubert Martin, Philippa Adams, the senior director of the Saatchi Gallery in London, and Adelina von Fürstenberg, who curated the Armenian pavilion at Venice Biennale in 2015. These committee members do not receive a fee for their services.

“Our advisors’ decision to join forces with Collectionair came as a commitment to help talented artists, who do not have access to the right professional network, shine globally,” say Varenne and Konde.

Read the full article on The Art Newspaper