ArtLink (company)

ArtLink
Founded Tel Aviv (April 20, 1996 (1996-04-20))[1]
Founder Tal Danai
Products Ar2Go
Website artlink.com

ArtLink is an art consulting firm, active predominantly within the international hospitality industry, alongside commercial and residential projects worldwide.

History

The company was conceived and launched by Tal Danai on April 23, 1996. Danai’s self professed mission was to “make quality young art Available, Accessible and Affordable”, and to help young artists support themselves by selling their work.[2][3] To achieve his goal Danai set out to develop a new market segment for young and emerging art within the international art market, and to re-introduce art as a cultural consumer’s product.

The company's first step was to try and put together an international network of art schools that would provide the source and background for finding promising young artists. David Rhodes, President of the School of Visual Arts in New York City was the first to sign on to the new program. Many other institutions in dozens of countries followed suit and within a few years ArtLink had an operative network in over 150 art colleges, academies and universities in 44 countries.

In January 1997 Danai pitched his venture to Sotheby's. The directors of Sotheby’s identified the promising cultural and commercial potential of the young venture and within 24 hours joined forces with the young company, providing expertise, support, worldwide venues and centuries-long credibility.

ArtLink's international young art program was renamed ArtLink@Sotheby's International Young Art. The Sotheby’s recognition was a crucial milestone in ArtLink’s drive to develop what would later become the young and emerging art market.[4]

In January 1998 ArtLink held the first International Young Art auction at Sotheby's Tel Aviv. 137 works were offered by 45 artists from 10 countries, all unknown to the public prior to the exhibition preceding the sale and they were all sold in the course of a two-hour auction, at prices above their estimates.[5][6]

ArtLink's search for promising artists around the world continued. Alongside those efforts the company invested heavily in working with the world’s largest public relations agencies, logistics companies and the world’s leading art dealers, promoting the “new product” and marketplace, while convincing dealers to avail their venues to young artists and the logistics company to creatively find ways of shipping low cost art globally.

Live-Online Interactive Auction

In the summer of 1999 ArtLink and Sotheby’s held the world's first live-online interactive auction.[7][8][9][10] 76 works by 35 artists from the 10 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea were exhibited at Sotheby's Berlin and auctioned live in Rostock, Germany.[11]

The live auction was transmitted by video and audio on the World Wide Web, with pre-registered bidders participating in the auction in real time.[12][13]

By the time ArtLink decided to close the ArtLink@Sotheby’s International Young Art program in 2003, 365 finalists from 44 countries had shown and sold their works at the auctions in Tel Aviv, Chicago, New York, Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam and Moscow.[14][15] Many of the program’s finalists have developed to become successful professional artists.[16][17][18][19]

The Ar2Go Program

In 2003 ArtLink introduced Ar2Go which is an international, royalty based, art-reproduction program dedicated to works by young artists. Through Ar2Go, ArtLink produces and promotes reproductions of works by young and emerging international artists.

The Hospitality Industry

In 2003 ArtLink completed its first hotel project. It developed, sold and installed the art at the public areas of the Victoria Park Plaza Hotel in London.[20] ArtLink’s team developed an art concept to complement the adjacent train and underground stations.

During the following decade, supported by a network of over 2,000 artists in 44 countries and with a growing team of creative art professionals, the company completed close to 100 hotels in 27 international cities and numerous commercial, residential and government projects. Notable hospitality projects include the Plaza Hotel in New York City,[21] the River Bank Park Plaza Hotel in London, the Victoria Hotel in Amsterdam, the Radisson Blu hotel in Bucharest, Tryp by Wyndham hotel in Antwerp, the Shangri La Jing An hotel in Shanghai, Hilton Queen Sheba in Eilat, and the Marriott Renaissance Hotel 57 in New York.[22]

Some of the better-known designers and architects ArtLink has worked with are Gianni Versace, Giorgetti and Hirsch Bendner Associates.

Among the company’s clients are Hilton, Sheraton, Mandarin Oriental, Shangri La, Park Plaza Europe, Crowne Plaza, Ritz Carlton, Marriott, Isrotel, Leonardo, Golden Tulip, The Plaza, Steigenberger, The Schweizerhof, Radisson, Kempinski, Thistle, Lufthansa Airlines, Sachsen Bank, Cisco and CBH Bank.

The Korean Art Scene

As early as its first auction in January 1998, ArtLink focused on the yet undiscovered emerging Korean art scene. On the cover of its 1998 first auction catalog ArtLink featured a work by a 37-year-old Park Chung Hwan.[23] The work fetched the highest hammer price at the auction and sold over three times its high estimate.[24]

The covers of both 2002 and 2003 catalogs also featured works by young Korean artists (Kyung woo Chun and Julie An).[25] During the life of the ArtLink@Sotheby’s International Young Art program, ArtLink had ushered 21 Korean artists onto the international art scene.

Alongside its main program, ArtLink has promoted over 120 other Korean artists and in later years held three major Korean art exhibitions; Korea Now, [26] Tel-Aviv, 2008 and Forming Expressions[27] in 2010 (both at Sotheby’s Tel Aviv) and Distanced [28] in 2012 at the International Photography Festival in the Old Port of Jaffa in Israel. The company is very active in the Korean art scene and its network of Korean artists covers more than 400 artists.

Some of the better known emerging artists that were introduced through ArtLink’s program are Debbie Han, Jae hyo Lee, Sung myung Chun, Seong mo Park, Wee dong Yun, and Kyung woo Chun.

References

  1. ↑ David B. Green (17 January 2000). "Filling Old Walls with Young Art". The Jerusalem Report.
  2. ↑ Litman, Shani (22 January 1998). "Young Artists' Saviour". Ha'aretz. Check date values in: |access-date= (help);
  3. ↑ Gfelle, Catherine, ArtLink”, “Visual Opinion”, Spring 1998
  4. ↑ "State of the Art". ArtReview. May 2003.
  5. ↑ Shefi, Smadar (28 January 1998). "The Art of the Possible". Ha’aretz.
  6. ↑ “ArtLink@Sotheby’sInternational Young Art” first Auction Catalogue 1998
  7. ↑ "Going, going, gone - online". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 17 August 1999. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  8. ↑ Snow, Shauna (7 August 1999). "Online Bidding". LA Times.
  9. ↑ Moyniham, Tim (7 August 1999). "Online Art Auction to take Internet Bids". Press Association.
  10. ↑ Von Carmen, Stephan, “Traume, die aus dem Gehirn Waschsen”, Die Welt, 30, July, 1999
  11. ↑ Sohlman, Eva, “Aspiring Artists turn to live Internet Auction”, “Reuters”, 6 August 1999
  12. ↑ Ellison, Sarah (6 August 1999). "Art Auctions". The Wall Street Journal Europe.
  13. ↑ Hulow, Katya, “Sotheby’s im Barocksaal”, “Neuste Nachrichten”, 5, August, 1999
  14. ↑ Williams, Kevin M (20 January 2000). "Young Artists in Spotlight". Chicago Sun-Times.
  15. ↑ IYA artlink@sotheby's 1999 Tel-Aviv & Chicago Auction Catalogue
  16. ↑ Gillerman, Dana (1 May 2000). "Affordable Art". Ha'aretz.
  17. ↑ Ronne, Meir (10 January 1999). "Worldwide 'Young Art'". The Jerusalem Post.
  18. ↑ Kelley, Alisa (1 February 2002). "Bright Young Thing". Wall Street Journal.
  19. ↑ Barrow, Frances, “Into a New Era”, “Sotheby’s Preview”, January 2000
  20. ↑ Oldham, Sarah (2004). "Park Plaza". Sleeper Magazine.
  21. ↑ "ArtLink paint The Plaza". Sleepermagazine.com. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  22. ↑ Mc'clary, Samantha (18 September 2003). "Where the Art is". The Carter Magazine.
  23. ↑ IYA artlink@sotheby's 1998 Tel-Aviv auction cataloguecover
  24. ↑ Ronnen, Meir (18 September 2003). "Young Artists a smash at Sotheby's". The Jerusalem Post.
  25. ↑ IYA artlink@sotheby's 2002 Tel-Aviv, New York & Amsterdam Auction Catalogue
  26. ↑ “Korea Now”, Catalogue, Sotheby’s Tel-Aviv, 2008
  27. ↑ “Forming Expressions – 3 approaches to Beauty”, Catalogue, Sotheby’s Tel-Aviv, 2010
  28. ↑ “Distanced” Contemporary Korean Photography, Jaffa Port, October, 2012
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