Leading artists in Britain and Ireland are turning to the Internet to exhibit and sell their works.
One of Ireland’s most celebrated artists Graham Knuttel has been selling his work online for some time and recently announced the sale of his series of 12 prints of Irish taoisigh. One hundred signed limited editions can be bought online for £6,000.
And now Damien Hirst, the bete noirof the British art world, has put one of his works online in collaboration with the Tate modern.
Pharmacy, which recreates a chemist shop, has been installed at the London gallery and can now also be viewed by visitors to the Tate website.
The virtual reality site offers a 360 degree panorama of the room and features an exclusive audio interview with the artist.
Hirst's installation is the first of a new series of works by contemporary artists to be featured on the website, which currently registers over 22 million hits a month.
Hirst says he hopes the on-line collaboration will open up his work to a new audience.
"I think it's great that my work is going on the Tate's web site. It's a very different thing for an artist to be able to make it work on the Internet rather than just in a gallery. Now it can be viewed by people who are interested in art but who would otherwise not be able to visit a gallery like this," he said.
Knuttel’s use of the web, particularly as a means of selling his work is considerably more advanced than Hirst’s venture. Some of his sculptures can also be viewed in the 3-D, while many other works are available for viewing and purchase on his website. Naturally, prices are not specified but you can see the works in full screen-size and then express an interest through email.
Knuttel, whose commissions include portraits of Boxing promoter Don King and actor Robert de Niro, once said: "I prefer a nightmare world full of shadows where danger and savagery is always close to hand." Can’t imagine why he chose taoisigh as a subject.