Amazon Art launches with masterpieces by Andy Warhol, Monet
Amazon is again edging into the art market. The e-tailer, better known for peddling books and electronics, on Tuesday launched Amazon Arts, with masterpieces by Andy Warhol and Claude Monet up for sale.
Amazon said in a statement that it aims to bring the gallery experience to the screen, allowing users to browse 40,000 works of fine art from more than 150 galleries and dealers.
Pieces range from prints for as low as $25 to Norman Rockwell’s “Willie Gillis: Package from Home†priced at $4.85 million.
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Other notable works include a Warhol-signed screenprint of “Sachiko†for $45,000, a 13-inch-wide portrait by Monet for $1.45 million and a gemstone-encrusted mixed media piece by Damien Hirst for $500,000.
While online art sales are growing -- a recent report by art insurer Hiscox estimated sales will increase from $870 million in 2012 to $2.1 billion by 2017 -- large e-tailers, including Yahoo and EBay, have had little success selling fine art on the Web.
Amazon also had a short-lived partnership with Sotheby’s: The e-tailer and auction house for more than a year jointly operated a website that sold fine art. The companies parted ways in 2000 after the site failed to gain traction.
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