Singulart: shaking up the online world of art and design

The art market was a plump target for digital disruption and democratisation. The internet and a sharper, smarter kind of e-commerce promised accessibility and transparency in a business almost entirely lacking in either. 

Online art galleries could open the door to new and younger collectors intimidated by traditional galleries and the complex hustle of art fairs. Artists, meanwhile, could find a platform and salesroom outside the dealer and mega-dealer system and the battle for part-time space in the physical place. 

Art though is not books, groceries or flat-pack furniture. Paintings have texture and brush strokes, a precise play of colours. Sculpture inhabits space in a way hard to capture online. Buying art takes time and deliberation. Art is a commitment. And it is not industry. Art is not produced in regular shapes and sizes and to a regular schedule. And crucially, the making and selling of art, is built on the human relationships between artist, dealer and collector.

Brice Lecompte, an engineer turned entrepreneur, and Véra Kempf, a serial founder and entrepreneur (with a passion for the work of photographer Robert Capa), founded the online gallery Singulart in Paris in 2017. They understood that there was a vast untapped interest and demand for art, a market that traditional galleries were ignoring. But they also knew that success would be built on matching online accessibility with personal service, expert advice and a guiding hand, when required. And on offering artists not just space but comprehensive support. It quickly became clear that Singulart’s model had vast potential. In 2021, the startup raised €60m in Series B investments, the largest single fundraising ever in the art industry.

Singulart now boasts a level of service distinct from physical galleries but also above and beyond that offered by most other online galleries. And for both collectors and artists. It offers an advisory service in multiple languages and allows collectors to negotiate prices with the artists and commission new works. Singulart also facilitates payment by instalments for collectors and handles shipping and customs for artists. It almost eliminates the pain points of buying art. And that’s a lot of pain.

It is also determinedly global and diverse in approach. Singulart now showcases the work of artists from 146 countries and half of the artists represented are female. Its collector base is almost as diverse and dispersed and it is bringing art to the attention of a vast audience. The site attracts almost two million visitors a month.

Inclusivity and education are also central to its mission, and it now produces its own physical magazine while its team of art experts publish insights into the art market and interview a range of specialists, online and in print. Its artist support system meanwhile stretches from guides and webinars to the personal care and attention of the Creator Care team to artist residencies, in locations from the Arctic to Florence.

Last year, savvy to the fact that designers and the design market deserved similar care and attention, Singulart launched a platform for independent designers, design studios, craftspeople, designer makers and design brands.

‘Our designers are accomplished professionals, known nationally or internationally, and who offer their own unique products that align with our curatorial line,’ it says. ‘We're dedicated to promoting exceptional craftsmanship worldwide, emphasising top-notch quality and materials.’ 

Singulart’s design collection includes furniture, decor and lighting, much of it customisable on request. Unlike the art offering though, the collection is only available to interior designers and architects. ‘We believe this approach is better suited and will aid designers in establishing enduring and mutually beneficial relationships,’ it says. 

Nurturing the relationship between client and creative, or in this case between creative and creative, has always been central to the Singulart mission. And Singulart understands that the relationship between designers and architects or interior designers – often ongoing, collaborative and site-specific – requires a particular kind of nurturing. 

It has also launched a spin-off site, Balthasart, dedicated to nurturing up-and-coming European artists and younger collectors. It’s been designed as a space where a community of artists, young or old, can develop their practice, receive advice and constructive review and new collectors can become patrons and supporters.

The Singulart team have experimented and learned along the way but it is clear they are creating a new kind of art market: big, open and expanding. 

© Architonic

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