If you searched the listings on artFido right now you’d find over 1700 pieces of art listed, and approximately 80 would be classified as Aboriginal art. Not a huge number in its own right, less than 5% of all listings, but substantial enough to prove a point: that there is definitely a market for Aboriginal Art online. Now this may not sound like news. Large art sale and art auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s have opened many of their art auctions to online bids, including those that featured numerous pieces of Aboriginal art. What makes the 80 listings on artFido important is that many of them have been listed directly by the artist themselves. From isolated communities in the middle or far north of Australia, Aboriginal artists can directly reach a broad international market. And that is new. Well not all new.
Ebay, Etsy and other platforms that spread art sales and art auctions amongst their other product offerings have also offered Aboriginal art online. The big difference being, artFido supports the Recommended Cataloguing Practice laid down by Art Consulting Association of Australia in 2012. We have written about these Practices before, and needn’t do it again, it is enough to say that they were created to protect the integrity of Aboriginal art and to help ensure that art sale and art auction businesses do the same. That is the big difference of artFido. A dedication to the sale of art and to protecting the integrity of listing artists, Aboriginal or otherwise.
Take a closer look at some of the profiles of those listing Aboriginal art online and you’ll notice that they’re not only listing art, they’re selling art as well. Actually they’re selling well. Raintree Art represents artist like Gloria Tamerre Petyarre and Numina Sharon and has sold quite a few pieces in the site’s short history. And with feedback like “Beautiful art, transaction was easy, fast delivery, very happy with everything”, Raintree will likely continue in its selling ways.
Yep. There is now no doubt that Aboriginal Art can sell online. And with artFido offering artists, galleries and artist communities the opportunity to sell to a world of buyers, and buyers the confidence of knowing that the ACAA’s Practices are being adhered to, artFido will continue to champion this new move.
While Aboriginal Art may only constitute 5% of the art listed on artFido, it represents almost 15% of the art sold. How better to prove a point than with a telling statistic. Actually, anything we expressed above should be considered simply icing on the statistic.
To see all of the Aboriginal art currently listed on artfido click here.
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