EDITOR’S NOTE: Prices and information below may be out of date. Since launching our own art website service for artists at Foliotwist.com, we no longer feel unbiased enough to continue updating or reviewing other art website services. Visit the website below for their most recent information.
I’ll just come right out and say it: ArtQuiver is, in my opinion, one of the most innovative and refreshingly simple ways to find and buy art online. Period.
Through it’s one-of-a-kind art recommendation system, every visitor to ArtQuiver.com can receive a truly personalized experience—seeing only the artwork THEY will love.
How does it work? I’ll get to that in a minute. First, the basics:
ArtQuiver pricing and features
ArtQuiver is free to join, with no sign-up costs or yearly fees. However, they do take a 45% commission fee for every work you sell.
To join, you must first send in an application and be approved. If you ARE approved, your artwork will be added to ArtQuiver’s online gallery and art-matching software. You’ll also get your own page with a bio and other information, and your own simulated 3D gallery to show off your art.
Design and layout of ArtQuiver.com
As a whole, ArtQuiver.com has a very nice, gallery-like design. Their use of light gray and lots of white space, combined with red as their accent color, works well to showcase any kind of artwork.
Occasionally the layout feels just a bit cluttered—I’m thinking of the visual search section, shown below—but everywhere else the design was very open and comfortable, as well as easy and intuitive to use.
Finding and buying art on ArtQuiver
Normally, the toughest part about finding art online is that there are SO many options. ArtQuiver has simplified the process of searching for art by creating a system that asks questions about your visual preferences, and then offers recommendations to fit your own personal style.
This question/recommendation system is the heart and soul of ArtQuiver.com. You can try it out for yourself here, or just take a look at the screenshots and explanations below from when I went through the process myself.
There were four interactive stages that I went through:
1. Appraise (i.e., rate artwork)
In the first stage I simply judged each artwork based on how well I liked it. ArtQuiver showed a small sample of works ranging from abstract to figurative to get a sense of my initial preferences.
2. Contrast (i.e., compare two works of art)
In the second stage, ArtQuiver placed two artworks head-to-head and asked me to pick my favorite.
3. Profile (i.e., tell us about yourself)
Stage three was a basic personality test, with some “social style” questions thrown in for good measure. There weren’t a whole lot of these, but I found it fascinating that ArtQuiver included these at all. I’d love to find out exactly what they’re trying to learn from each question in this section.
4. Confirm (i.e., double-check their predictions)
In stage four, ArtQuiver showed a few more works of art with a rating below each one. If I disagreed with the rating, I changed it.
After all four stages are complete (it takes about 5 minutes, no more) ArtQuiver gave me a long list of recommendations to choose from. Overall, I thought they did a pretty good job. The colors of their recommended artwork tended to be bright and bold, which I like, and the artwork ranged from moderately abstracted realism, to fully abstract pieces.
If you’d rather skip the recommendations and just search for art on your own, ArtQuiver does offer a more traditional search section which allows you to choose from between various styles, mediums, subjects, prices, colors, etc.
Whichever way you go about it, there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll find something to fit your artistic taste.
Other points of interest
The one thing I couldn’t help but notice in reviewing ArtQuiver is that they’re really not doing things like everyone else.
For instance, they offer free, life-size “proofs” of most of the artwork on ArtQuiver.com. Interested collectors can order a proof (or two or three) to place on their wall at home, and get a much more realistic idea of what the artwork would look like if they purchased it.
If that wasn’t enough, every purchase at ArtQuiver comes with free shipping in the continental US, AND is backed by a lifetime risk-free return policy. If you don’t like it—or ever stop liking it—you can always return the artwork for the price you paid.
One downside that I noticed in ArtQuiver’s terms of service is their exclusivity policy. If you apply and are accepted, as long as your art is shown on their website you may NOT put it up for sale anywhere else.
Final verdict
ArtQuiver.com has impressed me like few other online art galleries have. From their innovation to their strong visual design, they definitely stand out (in a good way).
If you’re an artist with a consistent sales record, a unique style, or both, I’d suggest applying to ArtQuiver and seeing what comes of it. Plus, whether you’re looking to sell art or looking for art, do make sure to drop by ArtQuiver.com—I really think you’ll like what you find.
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