Blog Post

Watson Joins Artsy

Kate Downes • Jan 17, 2022

Watson Gallery is pleased to announce that we are now a gallery partner with the international online art selling platform Artsy.

Over the past two years, many businesses have learned to adapt to new ways of interacting with clients and customers, and Watson is no exception; during the UK’s various lockdowns, we were forced to rethink the experiences our art collectors would have when looking for their next painting or sculpture.

We did find some interesting ways to increase our local accessibility, such as offering pavement-viewings of artworks through our windows – you can read more about that in a previous blog post.

However, we also wanted to make sure our artworks were available for online purchase, and adding a “ready to buy” option on our website was key for us during the time we spent with the gallery door closed. We added additional information about each artwork, including an "in-situ" viewing room for each piece so a buyer could imagine the artwork in their home...

An virtual viewing room for Gordon Mitchell's "Mother Egg"

Although many of our collectors were glad to have an option to view artworks remotely, we have heard from almost every one of our visitors since reopening how wonderful it is to be back in a real gallery, able to walk around and see the artworks up close.

 

That being said, through our online efforts, we have now gained a wider audience of buyers beyond Edinburgh and the surrounding towns, and we wanted to make sure they still had access to our collection, so we have maintained our online gallery since.

 

Of course, this online-gallery effort was made by independent galleries around the world, and as a result the world of art buying moved firmly into an online market. While in-person viewings remain popular, many new buyers are now seeking their artworks entirely online, using new technology and e-commerce improvements to evaluate new artworks remotely.


One of the most popular ways for collectors to find new artworks is through the international gallery partner Artsy – which was around long before 2020’s lockdowns, but whose operating platform allows for an excellent online gallery experience that can be shared with any collector in the world.

An in-situ view of two new originals by Ernesto Vaz, in our recent online exclusive exhibition "Ernesto Vaz: the Language of Colour"

Watson will be sharing the artworks of a select group of our artists through our Artsy gallery profile, helping new collectors to find their works and learn about their art practices.

 

Throughout 2022, we will be holding a number of exclusive online exhibitions through Artsy, enabling buyers from across the globe to find and enjoy our artists’ work, but also to share with our existing collectors and clients.

 

If you haven’t already, make sure you are subscribed to our weekly newsletter (enter your details at the bottom of this page) to get access to these limited-time only exhibitions, which will feature interviews with the artists, a behind-the-scenes look at their processes and studios, and new releases available to buy.


Get in touch with the gallery here.

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