Tumblr Contest Aims to Find Next Great Artist
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Winners from Tumblr's Next Artspace Artist contest, round one.
CREDIT: Tumblr |
Instead of strolling the galleries of New York, London and Paris, you can now discover hot new artists on blogging site Tumblr.
Online art dealer Artspace has launched a four-week art contest on blogging site Tumblr, in which artists will not only have to post eye-catching art, but spur followers to "like" their work as well. Talent may not be enough. Social networking will count, too.
Artists upload their entries to Tumblr on the The Next Artspace Artist page. Each week, three semifinalists are selected based on the number of times their entry is reblogged on Tumblr (in which a user reposts the entry on their own blog), liked on Tumblr, shared to another social media site or emailed to a friend. The top 12 will face off in another who-can-get-the-most-votes competition to whittle the group to the final three. However, the winner will be chosen by a panel of professionals.
Photography appears to be a favorite medium among Tumblrs. Week one winners were photographs showing a mountain of abandoned books, a jumping dog and a woman's sneering face. Week two of the contest has just begun. See the contenders here and click through to vote on your favorite.
Artspace is one of several sites that sell fine art online — a movement to bring art to the Internet masses. The art dealer offers a large selection of photography and prints to keep prices accessible to first-time buyers.
"We are the only website where you can put your credit card in and a buy work from world-renowned artists of this caliber from across the globe," co-founder Catherine Levene said in an interview with Tumblr. But you may need a black card from American Express — Artspace has a selection of original work under $500, but also has far pricier pieces. An original by Cy Twombly, known throughout the world for his large-scale graffiti-esque paintings, is available for $2.5 million.
With Tumblr's younger user base, about 20 percent are between the ages of 12 and 18, will the best work rise to the top or might we end up with a Justin Bieber lithograph?
