“Limited editions – affordable art for everyone”

ERGO: Sebastian, you would like to make high quality art available to as wide a public as possible. Who are we talking about here? What customers tend to visit your gallery?

Sebastian Vogel: Typically, our customers are between 30 and 50 years old and very digital-savvy. Many of them are just starting out in their careers or are setting up home together for the first time with their partner. And they are not just scouting around for cool furniture – they are also interested in beautiful art. Most of our customers are genuinely interested in art and have high expectations of artistic quality – yet do not feel that a classic art gallery is for them. Often, they simply lack the time to visit galleries. So, in this case, an online gallery is the optimum solution. 

ERGO: How do your customers differ from other art collectors?

Sebastian Vogel: There’s no short answer to that question. The art world is pretty elitist and often conservative. You find the same select coterie going to the same events. Outsiders are not welcome. Our customers are different – they are more open and eager to experiment than your traditional art collector. This may well be because they lack the connections in the art business. Traditional galleries, for example, focus on art fairs. Fairs are like a microcosm – a very homogeneous scene celebrating itself. And one to which my customers often feel they do not belong. As I said, it’s a small exclusive world that wants to stay that way. Invisible barriers are created and, as a result, a huge market is left wanting. There are a lot of people out there who want to buy high-quality art. In this respect, the way we do business taps into a completely new target audience. And business is not confined to our online shop. We regularly set up pop-up galleries – in Düsseldorf, Berlin, Vienna, in city centres. ERGO has often been on board as a partner at these events. And we see the same thing every time. Pop-up galleries attract a completely different audience to that of classic art fairs.

ERGO: Do your customers tend to be experienced art collectors or are they mainly people who have just discovered a passion for collecting?

Sebastian Vogel: Both, really. Some of our customers already own large collections and know a huge amount about art. Many of our customers, though, are buying an artwork for the first time, starting out, so to speak. We reach them via our website – or our showroom in Munich, which we intentionally kept low-key. You won’t find a typical white cube presentation there, in fact artworks are often just propped up on the floor. There is also no artificial light in the showroom – we want people to feel at ease and not to be put off from coming in.

ERGO: You sell limited editions. How significant are editions in attracting new target audiences?

Sebastian Vogel: Very significant. Editions are an affordable way of owning the works of a favourite artist for people who cannot pay five, ten or fifty thousand euros for a work of art. We develop limited editions with the artists – and sell them at prices that almost everyone can afford. An important aspect for us is to keep editions as small as possible, to not more than 30 prints. These 30 works are then individualised by the artist. Take, for example, Jan Albers, a Düsseldorf artist. He produced a sculpture for us in a limited edition of 25, each in a different colour, so every single one is a unique work of art. And, at the same time, absolutely affordable. That is our philosophy in a nutshell: to offer great art at a fair price, thus enabling more art lovers to buy high quality art that is within their means.