Girl meets boy, artist meets buyer. It seems a simple tale, but both seem to prompt the question “Why was it so hard for us to meet?” For the dating world, Tinder helps to match significant others. For the art world, it’s Wydr. Based in Switzerland, this new app, available for iOS and Android, strives to help “artists and art lovers to connect in some way.” The “open art-trading platform” strips away the uncomfortable nature of an in-person sale from the transaction, making it easier for artists to expose their work to a wider range of interested buyers, and for buyers to feel less pressured when making a decision.
For the Collector
Tagged as “Tinder for Art,” the idea of this app is for the user to swipe left for works they are not interested in and swipe right for works they would consider buying. The works for which they swipe right will be collected in a gallery – their shop from which you can make purchases. From there, the potential buyer can add a work to their cart or continue “shopping.” Swiping is purely a reaction to the aesthetics of the work, without having details like it’s price (which is in Euros, so you may want to keep a conversion calculator handy) and medium, which are only included in the gallery. Shipping is free aside from any customs or import fees.
For the Artist
Artists can place their works for sale on the app by providing Wydr with contact information and the details of the work, including an image. Once the work is processed, it will be available for “swiping,” as described above. The artist also determines the price, and Wyder marks the price up to include its commission of 30% for original works and 100% for digital prints and a flat fee for shipping (which is free for the buyer). Works can be available for sale via other avenues – if it sells elsewhere (yay!), the work will be removed from the app. If the work sells on the app however, the artist is required to ship the piece to the buyer, and will be reimbursed for shipping costs.