UGallery

The company was founded by Alex Farkas, Stephen Tanenbaum and Greg Rosborough.[2] The three met in a business class at the University of Arizona. Sharing an interest in the arts, they developed the concept for UGallery through the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program.[3] The UGallery.com website launched in September 2006.[4]

Originally seen as a way to help recent art school graduates find buyers, UGallery began with five artists and 25 pieces of original art.[5] Securing outside capital in 2008,[6] the company shifted its focus to mid-career and emerging artists from around the world.[5]

Gallery

As of February 2014, UGallery exhibits the work of 500 professional artists and more than 6,500 pieces of original paintings, fine-art photography, drawings and sculptures.[7] The company counts clients in every U.S. state and over 45 countries,[8] as well as 1.7 million social followers.[9][10][11][12]

Artist Jennifer Hannaford packs her sold artwork in a UGallery delivery box.

UGallery was an early entrant to the business of selling original art online.[13] At the time, many art critics questioned the concept. A 2007 Wall Street Journal article called "the online art marketplace as mottled as a Monet water scene."[14] By 2012, the online art market was valued at $870 million.[15] In 2014, the estimated value of the online art market grew to $2.64 billion, accounting for 4.8% of the estimated $55.2 billion value of the global art market.[16]

In 2011, The Economist called UGallery "unintimidating enough to encourage a new generation of collectors."[17] In 2013, VentureBeat wrote that UGallery's e-commerce platform is "democratizing the art world."[18] The same year, Internet Retailer named UGallery to their Second 500 Guide,[19] and in 2015, named UGallery the top luxury e-retailer for artwork.[20]

• Official website