The online art sector is dominated by three types of players: curated marketplaces (Saatchi Art, Singulart, Artsper) that take 30-40% commission, generalist platforms (Etsy) unsuitable for original works, and DIY e-commerce sites (Shopify) that require technical investment.
Artworks Digital offers a fourth model: a specialized platform, open (without exclusive curatorial validation), free to register, and with a reasonable commission of 18% on sales.
A platform, three roles
1. Artist
Free registration. Unlimited portfolio. Direct sales via Stripe Connect Express (18% commission). Automatic multilingual. AI curatorial note. Matching with galleries.
2. Gallery
Free registration. Gallery profile. Listing of held works. Activatable marketplace. Matching with artists according to your curatorial program. Verified badge possible.
3. Collector / buyer
No registration required to purchase. Payment by credit card or Apple/Google Pay. Shipping address requested at Stripe Checkout. Real-time order tracking via order number.
Why does this platform exist?
The observation: in France, nearly 250,000 visual artists are registered with the Maison des Artistes, but less than 5% live from their production. Most depend on teaching, subsidies, or cede 50% of their price to galleries that exhibit their works once a year.
The internet should have changed this. But online platforms reproduce the gallery model: drastic curation (80% rejection rate at Saatchi), high commission (40%), and exclusivity required. The result: emerging artists remain invisible.
Artworks Digital reverses the equation: open visibility by default, reasonable commission, no exclusivity, direct payment via Stripe Connect.
Technical architecture
The platform is built on Flask + SQLite (Postgres migration planned), Stripe Connect Express, Groq AI for curation and multilingual translation. Hosting in France/EU, GDPR-compliant. Modular code, automatic multilingual portfolio, schema.org enriched.
Platform features
- Artist portfolios with visual customization (3 templates, including 2 premium at 10 €)
- Gallery profiles with work listings and matching
- Global marketplace aggregating all works for sale
- Stripe Connect Express (artists + galleries)
- Platform escrow until shipping confirmation
- Order tracking public via order number
- AI editorial blog multilingual FR/EN/JA/KO
- Schema.org Person, VisualArtwork, ArtGallery, Offer, BreadcrumbList, FAQPage, BlogPosting
- Dynamic sitemap including each individual work
- llms.txt + llms-full.txt for ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity
- Aria — AI assistant that performs actions on your behalf
For collectors
Buying on Artworks Digital: no registration required. Browse the marketplace, add works to your cart, pay via Stripe (credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay). Shipping address entered on Stripe. The money is held by the platform until shipping confirmation by the seller — you are protected.
