- The birth of numerous art technology companies has been welcomed by the traditional art world and had a massive effect on the market.
- The recent use of new technologies such as AI and blockchain has seen an evolution in art and design trends.
Here, TechRound lists its top 10 best art startups innovating the industry.
Magnus
Magnus is often described as the Shazam of the art world. The app provides information and pricing on artwork when you take a picture of a piece. The art-tech startup informs buyers on purchasing decisions, as well as appealing to those wishing to learn about new artworks. Users can also upload information about the artwork, which is then verified by the company. Through Magnus, users can learn about what they are seeing and stay up to date on its recent news and price.
Artomatix
Artomatix is an Irish AI software startup, said to be “the world’s first 3D art engine”. The Artomatix AI software reduced 3D design construction time by as much as 80% by automating a large amount of the process. The software has widespread use amongst video-game designers and interior designers. Since its launch in 2014, Artomatix has raised nearly €10 million and is a big player in shaping the future of 3D design.
GowithYamo
GowithYamo is a mobile app which acts as your personal art tour guide for art exhibitions, galleries and events. The art discovery app also rewards you for attending exhibitions and art events. The virtual points, called Yamos, can be redeemed in the app shop for exclusive rewards such as prints, paintings and jewellery.
Artmyn
Artmyn uses 5D technology to create interactive and immersive artwork that can be viewed online. The company revolutionises the fine-art experience through gallery-style streaming from any mobile device or web browser. Their technology generates interactive 5D images to provide an emotional art-viewer experience on a screen.
Codex Protocol
Codex Protocol uses blockchain technology to record the history of artwork in a decentralised, digital registry. The Codex Records register every sale and transaction of art pieces on the blockchain. This provides prospective buyers with an invaluable tool to authenticate pieces. The Codex search tool is openly accessible, allowing buyers to verify artwork and its history reliably.
Monart
Monart, founded in 2018, is a platform for the art community to discover, share and invest. The artworks market uses blockchain and security infrastructure technology to make it secure. The platform also offers new art experiences, including AR/VR and 3D exhibitions. Last year the startup won the Best ICO Project of the Year at the ICO Awards.
Obvious Art
Obvious Art aims to democratise Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities through art. The collective of artists and researchers uses Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), which are Machine Learning algorithms that generate images. Obvious Art uses this technology to experiment with the concept of creativity for a machine. The project gained international attention when one of their artworks, Portrait of Edmond de Belamy, 2018, sold for $432,500 at Christie’s New York. The artwork was the first-ever AI-generated artwork to be sold at auction.
Sprayprinter
Sprayprinter is an art-tech startup based out of Tartu and Silicon Valley. The company has developed a wall-climbing robot which can turn any design into wall art. Albert the robot can paint images of any size to any surface. The design is aimed at DIY homeowners and street artists alike and seeks to provide a time and cost-effective art creation tool. Sprayprinter is praised for turning cities into galleries and won the TechChill Pitching Competition in 2017.
Artnome
Artnome is a blockchain-based platform founded in 2015 that houses the largest analytical database of complete works for the world’s most influential artists. Artnome holds the world’s largest analytical database of known works of important artists, gathered from public auction data and open museum records. The startup uses machine learning and computer vision to produce original research based on this database. The digital database also provides essential information about artists that helps fight against forgery.
Vastari
Vastari is an online platform connecting museums and curators with private collectors. With Vastari, private collectors can securely arrange to loan artworks to museums and curators for specific exhibitions. The Vastari interface and networking tools provide an efficient and reliable system to make these connections and communications.
Art Technology Companies – What Are They?
Recently, the art world has experienced an array of exciting new innovations, many of which have been made possible through the help of art technology companies.
Art technology companies, or art tech startups for short, is essentially a combining of technology and art. Through this combination is facilitated new artwork, as well as new products and services for the industry to offer. All this helps to push for innovation, and further evolution, in the art world – helping contemporary productions from this industry reflect the techno-centric world of today.
Art technology companies are helping to make the art world more accessible and innovative, providing a wealth of different tools to help navigate different sections of this industry – be it creating, admiring or selling artwork.
The History of Art Technology Companies
Art technology companies have established themselves as an innovative disruptor to the art world only fairly recently.
It’s tricky to give an exact date as to when art tech first emerged, with artists experimenting with different technologies in their work throughout history. However, particularly in the past 20 or so years, with the rapid popularisation of the internet and smartphones, the art world has seen considerable technological advancements.
With the internet quite literally at our fingertips in the form of smartphones and other mobile devices, people have been able to access art like never before. This in combination with the advancements in AI and blockchain technology have enabled people to create, view, purchase and sell art on an entirely new scale.
What Are the Best Art Startups?
Through this article, we’ve explored our own top 10 list of the best art startups, however, as is often the case with art, this is subjective! The best art startups for you will depend on the services and products you require from such companies, and how well such art technology companies accommodate to your needs regarding this.
