This week the media were reporting on the recent tie-up between the auction house Sotheby's and the company EBay, to give greater access to the many artworks and antiques they auction, which will be available online and from any device. Collectors are increasingly choosing to buy their new pieces over the internet, now that any barrier there might have been has gone, things like location or not being able to browse hundreds of thousands of artworks from the sofa at home.
More than one person may think this news hardly deserves a mention, but while in other sectors the internet question is well and truly settled and they have been established in the online channel for years, the art world seemed to be finding it a bit harder. That one of the sector's giants is taking this step is good news for everyone.
Last year online bidding at Sotheby's stood at 17%, a figure that falls short of what online transactions mean for other sectors, but which for them was a 36% increase on the previous year. And with this tie-up with EBay, the New York firm hopes to leave that percentage behind and start breaking records as it has accustomed us to doing.
Of the 10 most expensive paintings in the world, three were sold at auctions held by Sotheby's: El grito by Edvard Munch in May 2012, El hombre que camina I by Alberto Giacometti in February 2010 and the artwork Garçon à la Pipe by Pablo Picasso in May 2004.
Are we already looking at the future of art? Do you think the internet has been playing an important role for a while now?
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