the startupist

One of the driving forces of the internet has been discovery.  Yahoo is credited with being one of the primary discovery engines of the web while it was still in diapers.  Discovery evolved from a curated page of links, to search with the invention of the search engine. As the internet evolved into it’s interactive age, discovery occurred on a social level, and in the current age of handled computing (read: smartphones) discovery is happening in a much more personalized way.

Joining the society of other discovery engines, is Art.sy - the much anticipated NY-based startup founded by Carter Cleveland just over 3 years ago.  Led be Cleveland, funded by the likes of Jack Dorsey, Eric Schmidt, Charlie Cheever, and Peter Thiel, and advised by global art and discovery leaders Larry Gagosian (Gagosian Galleries) and Joe Kennedy (Pandora), Art.sy, on paper, seems well positioned for success.¹

The art discovery startup debuted at TechCrunch Disrupt NY in the Spring of 2010, showcasing as a sort of new art marketplace.  Art.sy has since shifted their focus, and is now, at it’s core, an art database displaying its contents in a simply searchable gallery.

In much the same way that Pandora analyzes song structure, patterns, and influences to create the music genome, Art.sy analyzes works of art for hundreds of different characteristics in an effort to create the art genome.

After waiting for over a year, I finally received my Art.sy invite today. In the case that you have not received your invite yet or have not requested one, I took the liberty to post a few screen grabs below.

Here, we have the home page showing you works currently on display.

Use the search box at the top of the site, or use the characteristics in the footer to find art based on any number of characteristics/specific criteria.

Next, we have the individual piece page. View the work in detail, find out whether it is for sale (at which point, Art.sy will put you in communication with the artist/gallery).  You can also save the work to your own digital collection (like a Pinterest for the sophisticate).  Finally, you can follow the artist to be alerted when new work is uploaded for viewing/sale.

Art.sy is sort of amalgamation of Pinterest and Pandora for the art sophisticate.  It brings together the best of these applications, and introduces the tradition of art museums, galleries, and brokerages to create a unique, elegant, and obviously artistic experience.

1: http://www.crunchbase.com/company/art-sy