(11 June 2015) More than two hundred works of art are sold every week on the South African marketplace Bob Shop. Most of them are oil or acrylic paintings by local artists.

“The internet has revolutionised the way people buy and sell art. Art lovers can browse hundreds of original paintings online and purchase them at a fraction of gallery prices. Artists are given a new way to present and sell their works to the public”, says Bob Shop CEO Jaco Jonker.

bobshop has devoted a section of the site to “art directly from the artist”, which is populated with paintings, prints and sculptures listed by the artists themselves. Artists who sell on Bob Shop say that the platform enables them to get their art out into the world and attain immediate publicity.

Artist Mike Taljaard says that he used to struggle to sell his paintings at art galleries and arts and craft markets. Today, he enjoys internet fame. “With Bob Shop, I have found a way to run my own business as an artist”, he says.

Pricing-wise, most artists sell their art at prices people are prepared to pay, which ranges from a couple of hundred rands to several thousands, depending on the size of the painting, the medium and the subject matter. 

“An artist sometimes has to make a choice between making one’s work accessible and selling it, or just letting it collect dust,” says artist Cherie Dirksen, DirksenArtGallery on Bob Shop, and adds: “Listing on Bob Shop has proved to be a viable way of selling my art.”

Artist Bridgette Allan, who sells under the name Wild Olive Art, says she derives pleasure not only from making a sale, but also from buyers’ satisfaction with the artwork they purchase. “Art is often an emotional buy. I try to give to people - who would not normally be able to afford original South African art at the prices charged in galleries and at exhibitions - an opportunity to own high quality, original art.”

“We can confidently claim that Bob Shop offers an excellent platform for any artist, because it enables them to present the art works they created to a huge market of potential buyers in a short amount of time and get quick feedback”, says Jonker.

At any time, there are more than one thousand art works listed directly by the artist for sale on Bob Shop. The most popular are paintings executed in oils or acrylics. As far as the subject matter goes, buyers on Bob Shop seem to prefer landscapes, wildlife and still life, in realistic style, often with an impressionistic feel.

Original works by renowned South African and international artists also feature regularly on Bob Shop, with price tags in five or six digit numbers. These works of art also find their buyers on the site. Within the last thirty days, a small Christiaan Nice oil was sold for R8,000, a Gabriel de Jongh landscape for R15,550, and a William Kentridge etching for R35,000.

“Since the value of art is to a large extent a subjective matter, it’s no wonder that artists and art dealers were among the first to make use of our recently launched make-an-offer functionality which allows buyers to start a price negotiation with sellers”, says Bob Shop CEO. He points out that one art dealer, Artworks Online, tweeted about selling two paintings on Bob Shop, a Koch oil landscape and a Frank Stella abstract lithograph, after accepting buyers’ offers.