One year after DMI helped Art Basel launch a digital platform in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global digital transformation company is working with the international art fair to kick off its 2021 season. On March 24—27, 2021, Art Basel will host a live Online Viewing Room (OVR), “OVR: Pioneers,” which is dedicated to artists breaking new ground—whether it be aesthetically, conceptually or socio-politically.
When Art Basel launched its first Online Viewing Rooms last spring, the virtual platform allowed Art Basel to continue – albeit online – its premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, connecting collectors with galleries and their artists. The Online Viewing Rooms also increased traffic to the Art Basel website, resulting in 2 million website visits and nearly a 200% increase on page views compared to the previous year.
“For the art community, the loss of the live events didn’t just take away the human experience, but it also affected a key sales channel for galleries,” said Allison Mataya, DMI Executive Director, Experience Group. “DMI was proud to partner with Art Basel to create Online Viewing Rooms and bring an alternative solution that positively impacted galleries and provided artists with the opportunity to share their works of art.”
The Online Viewing Rooms created a new digital experience bringing the artworld when live events are not yet able to happen. It connects collectors with the galleries and artists by providing a digital platform to showcase works of art online. Collectors can browse thousands of works with the ability to search by galleries, artists, medium, sector and year. Participants can directly contact the gallery with any sales inquiries.
Since the launch of the Online Viewing Rooms in 2020, DMI and Art Basel have worked closely with the galleries to obtain feedback from participants. OVR users’ comments led DMI to add enhancements, including more enhanced filters and the ability for participants to save collections.
DMI and Art Basel will continue to converge and develop the virtual and physical environments in the upcoming year to bring the art community together, offer a safe way for collectors to experience the event from their homes and further explore their passion for art.
