Online viewing rooms

What are online viewing rooms?

Online viewing rooms are digital selling rooms in which a gallery or auction house offers works to be viewed and bought over the internet. They are a kind of shop window on a screen, where you look at a work, read about it and register your interest straight away. Art thus reaches people who would otherwise never get into a physical saleroom.

How does it work?

The sale takes place outside the traditional saleroom, so you can take part from anywhere with a connection. This format came fully into its own after Covid, when meetings in person were restricted and the market looked for a way to keep offering works at a distance. It has remained a normal part of selling ever since, alongside exhibitions and sales in the room.

Why does it matter to a collector or buyer?

The share of online sales rose markedly after Covid, so a far wider offering is available on screen today than before. For a buyer it means access to works regardless of where they happen to be, and without the pressure of a full room. Isn't it liberating to be able to go through an offering calmly from home?

What should you watch out for?

The share of online sales did rise steeply after Covid, but it is now slipping slightly, so treat this channel as a complement rather than a substitute for viewing in person. With a work you have seen only on a screen it pays to ask about details and condition, because a photograph does not always reveal everything. Healthy curiosity serves better here than a quick click.

— Anna Pulkertová, founder of Art Part Club