If someone said that they would sell you a Damien Hirst for around £7.50 ($11.80) or a Tracy Emin for about the same price, you would be forgiven for claiming the idea to be preposterous, and not to trust whoever it was that you were talking to.
Thanks to a new online platform called
s[edition], the above price for a Hirst or an Emin, is about right.
s[edition] is a new business venture, brought to us by Haunch of Venison founder, Harry Blain and Robert Norton, the former CEO of Saatchi Online. They plan to revolutionise the way we think about collecting and the way that we consider the idea of art and ownership.
Through s[edition], art lovers can buy and download digital art by some of the worlds leading artists. With prices ranging from £5 to £500 ($7.80 to $780), you can get your hands on works by the likes of Hirst, Emin, Matt Collishaw and Isaac Julian. The digital artwork has been released in editions of 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000, and have been created specifically for s[edition].
Anyone who purchases one of these works of art will receive a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist and someone from s[edition], and will be able to enjoy their work of art on any device that can be connected to the internet.
Beyond acting as a dealer of these digital artworks, s[edition] will also be a platform for people to receive updates about the artists displayed on the site, including when new publications are available, and when new shows come round at museums and galleries.