LONDON — Net-a-porter is breaking into the fine art scene through a partnership with the e-commerce platform AP8 that will see it sell contemporary works on the site. An announcement is expected on Tuesday.
Art will be sold as part of Net’s homeware category starting May 2. The company said it wants to “bridge the gap” between the physical and digital art worlds through a series of drops from a selection of contemporary artists.
The partnership with AP8, which has a website address of ap8.art, will launch with a selection of 10 framed Guy Bourdin prints that will be exclusive to Net-a-porter. They have been digitally verified, and carry a retail price of 1,500 pounds. Less than 100 units of each piece will be made available.
Bourdin is best known for his experimental color photography, and was a key contributor to French Vogue from 1955 through the 1980s, presenting bold and provocative images with a unique, contemporary aesthetic.
Guy Bourdin images that will be sold by Net-a-porter as part of its new fine art category.
Courtesy image
The partnership with AP8 will continue with drops every three months from different artists.
According to Net, all pieces within each collection are meant to “work seamlessly together,” and have been framed “exactly to the artist’s standards.”
The images have been verified via stenographic cryptography, a method that relies on digital scanning. A certification code registered to the purchaser is linked to each artwork, providing a record of provenance and value.
“For the launch of Art at Net-a-porter, our aim is to deliver our customers the same world-class level of curation and expertise that’s synonymous with our entire buy. Our partnership with ap8.art, a true innovator in this space, brings our global customers an incredible selection of unique and collectible photographs from the iconic Guy Bourdin,” said Lea Cranfield, chief buying and merchandising officer at Net-a-porter.
She said the new partnership was the company’s first step in Net’s journey into the art world “and we look forward to many more.”
Viola Raikhel, curator and cofounder of AP8, said that when Net approached her company “to reimagine what collecting art could look like, I knew we had to distill all that makes art covetable and collectible. Art and fashion are my two greatest passions, and I am honored to be curating for the ultimate luxury fashion destination.”
She added that AP8 wants to champion artists and celebrate collecting for a new generation, and that “Net is the perfect partner to highlight “the ever-strengthening ties between art and fashion.”
Source: WWD