Yuliana Arles
- Jul 28, 2021
- 3 min read

How a Dutch online auction platform makes high quality art acquisition more affordable

Updated: Feb 22, 2022

The period of the pandemic and lockdowns 2020 - 2021 had a very negative impact on the development of many different sectors of the global economy. However, the economic downturn did not affect the art market at all, and even on the contrary, the pandemic contributed to the transition of the art trade to the online mode, thereby enormously increasing sales. Many auction houses and galleries around the world claim that 2020 was their best year on the market.

The online auction format makes the procedure for buying artworks easier and more accessible. Now, the art world no longer seems so elitist, expensive, and inaccessible to many people.

Despite the worldwide media headlines screaming record prices of millions over and over again, which collectors are willing to pay for individual works of art, online auctions, at the same time, are expanding their customer segment. The multi-million dollar lots for sale at auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's are just the tip of the iceberg.

Most of the art market, though, trades in the price segment below 5,000 euros. But even this amount sometimes and so often exceeds the budget of many art lovers, as well as young collectors. In this regard, the online system today provides many opportunities and different ways to develop your passion for art, while having a limited budget.

New opportunity for art collectors

One of the good examples of this phenomenon is an online art auction platform that makes the purchase of artworks available to any wallet.

The mission of Artpeers.de is to make high-quality art available to everyone.

Artpeers is a subsidiary of the very successful Dutch art auction platform Kunstveiling.nl.

In recent years, Kunstveiling.nl has grown from a start-up to the biggest player on the Dutch market. The constantly growing platform has already attracted more than 85,000 users and around 300,000 works of art have been acquired by delighted new owners.

How Do Online Auctions Work?

This new online auction platform allows lovers of art and design to bid, buy and sell to their heart's content. The main advantage is transparency, as the auction takes place online, and you can take all the time you need to browse the offer and place a calculated bid.

Artpeers’ main motivation is to encourage not only professional collectors and art dealers, but also starting buyers and sellers, to participate.

You can become the proud owner of the works of such geniuses as Markus Lüpertz, Keith Haring, Lucio Fontana, Andy Warhol, Nan Goldin or A.R. Penck at a relatively affordable price.

This is a great alternative to add big names to your collection.

An indisputable plus, for both private and professional sellers, who can auction works of art through their personal account. Anyone with an Artpeers account can place bids on these artworks. Artpeers provides a free valuation service: sellers may request a free auction estimate by email for the works they wish to auction.

Online auctions are a global phenomenon

Considering the rapid growth of the number of users of online auctions as a global phenomenon, it should be noted, that the real boom in online sales during the pandemic took place in Germany.

World-famous auction houses, such as Ketterer in Munich, declare that, even before the pandemic, almost 90 percent of auctions were held outside the trading floor. Today, the number of participants in online auctions in Germany continue to increase.

This is why Artpeers.de now allows German-speaking art lovers to access a wide range of German artists' gems, as well as to discover Dutch and international art. Users are given the opportunity to appreciate and purchase new artworks that are added every day to the offer, which ranges from affordable art to exclusive pieces.