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The buying and selling of art typically conjures up images of an auction house, a gallery, or some other traditional brick and mortar means of transacting business.  Those means still do dominate the art market in terms of transacting an enormous amount of business.  Despite the recession, worldwide auction sales of art amount to a staggering $80 billion (Skates 3).  Of this amount, $10 billion is sold by way of auction - three times the amount sold in 2000 (Artprice 7).  Needless to say, in terms of dollars, the art market is big - very big.  But even bigger, is the total sales made through the Internet.  The United States Commerce Department reported that in 2010 alone, online shoppers electronically purchased over $160 billion worth of goods (Internetretailer.com).  While there is no specific published data on the amount of money spent buying art online, it comes as no surprise that a lot of people are buying and selling art by "point and click" over the internet.  While transacting art online has had its ups and downs, and is not without concerns, such as authenticity, it nonetheless remains a major dynamic of the art market.  In this wiki page, I will detail and analyze the business of buying and selling art online and its major players.  I will also discuss the concern over authenticity (fakes / forgeries) that is an issue in the art world, particularly when it comes to buying artwork over the internet.  An analysis of the tangible aspect of art and its affect on internet purchases will also be made.  Finally, I will conclude this wiki by discussing and offering an answer as to whether the Internet will replace the more traditional methods of buying and selling art, with particular reference to the two major auction houses.auction houses and galleries are doomed because of the Internet. 

I. Shopping For Art on The Internet: 

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In what is probably the best indication that the electronic art market will probably never replace the traditional means of transacting art, both Artnet and Saffronart have recently taken physical exhibition spaces.  As was written in Art Radar, "this paradox reminds us that the marketing of art is still much more about human relationships than the pixels of a pretty picture."  While I don't think this signals that the Internet model of buying and selling art will decline, it does reflect that a live presence in the art market is always a good thing.   A few months ago, The New York Times wrote that there will always be art buyers who still need a "little live reassurance from human beings that what they are seeing and reading about on the screen is what it appears to be" (Kennedy 3).  

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An eBay auction in cyberspace is like a football game without a live audience.  Similarly, bidding on line through Sotheby's BidNow, Artnet, Christie's Live or eBay is really no different than watching a ball game from your couch.  The essence of the auction is not participation by everyone in attendance; instead it is the sensationalism and marketing dynamic it gives the art market.  That is not to say that online art auctions and purchases are a dying aspect of the art market.  To the contrary, I think the future for the electronic art market is bright as it has been able to survive despite major obstacles and failures of some companies. The issues of authenticity and the tangible nature of art, which while important, do not seem to have significantly deterred buying art online.

While I agree with Professor Finley that the "internet has taken out some of the "fan fare of the auction experience" (wiki comment), I believe the auction houses and the galleries (especially those affiliated with branded dealers), will continue to be the standard for buying and selling art, especially particularly any significant works.  The power of the branded auction houses and their media coverage is a key component of the success of the art market.  For those that can attend the preview -  , it may be just as important as the auction (if not more so) in terms of being seen amongst the art market players ; and while the - something that can't be done over the internet.  And while the preview may make bidding on line more comfortable, it cannot replace the auction.  Yes, art can be bought and sold without a Christie's or Sotheby's.  But the people in art world (and I think probably most everyoneall people) loves love the sensationalism associated with a major auction – it fuels the art market in a way that neither eBay nor any online art auction can.  They also like how the star-power of a branded dealer increases prices and notoriety of artists, which in turn I think helps grow the market.  So while I believe that art sales will expand on the internet, I don't see it significantly changing the dominance of the auction houses and galleries in the art market.

References:

Goodman, Calvin. "The 'Net Value of the Art Market." American Artist. Volume 66, Issue 714 (2002)

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