Unlocking new opportunities for our beloved art institutions.

Managing a museum today is challenging. ArtShare helps museums better serve their missions and audiences at no cost, and without any loss of control. It can be easier, and we can help.

Increase visitors and engagement with ArtShare

Over the past few decades, museum attendance has been steadily declining, with a tremendous COVID shock and no recovery since. Years later, museum attendance still remains 40% below its 2019 levels¹ and will not recover unless museums take action to change.

ArtShare collaborates with museums to accelerate audience growth by enhancing engagement.

[1] Artnet News July 2022

Our mission is to enable everyone to invest in and connect with art they love in museums across the US.

The joy of art ownership should be accessible to all, not just those who can afford to spend millions. ArtShare makes it possible for everyone to own extraordinary items with inspiring stories, viewable in museums you can visit.

Our Partners and Friends

Museums have distinct needs. ArtShare has solutions for each.

Grow engagement and funding from your collection

We enable museums to offer minority, non-controlling ownership shares in select works to the public. This enables patrons a direct 1:1 voice, demonstrates that key works belong to the community, and enables museums to raise funds without change of control.

Acquire out-of-reach artwork for free via loan

We crowdfund the acquisition of works you identify for an upcoming exhibition. ArtShare will cover all costs of shipping, insurance, and care for the receiving museum. This gives museums access to special works, and brings a built-in audience of patrons eager to visit an exhibition they contributed to.

De-risk exhibition production with early data and funding

We help museums offer conditional shares in key exhibition works to help museums assess demand and timeliness before producing an exhibition or when deciding which of several to prioritize. This enables museums to assess visitor demand before spending time, budget, and effort on a production. If successful, this also raises funds to offset costs and highlights geographic centers of demand for traveling exhibitions.

De-risk exhibition production with early data and funding

We help museums offer conditional shares in key exhibition works to help museums assess demand and timeliness before producing an exhibition or when deciding which of several to prioritize. This enables museums to assess visitor demand before spending time, budget, and effort on a production. If successful, this also raises funds to offset costs and highlights geographic centers of demand for traveling exhibitions.

Custom solutions to fit the needs of your museum

Need to revamp your membership program? Have an upcoming capital campaign to supercharge? We can work together and build something to achieve your goals.

No cost to your institution to partner with us. 

In fact, ArtShare assists with many expenses and creates new revenue streams for museums and living artists.

Minimal distraction for museum staff. 

ArtShare can do the work or amplify your current teams, as you prefer.

General FAQs

  • An ownership stake in the respective artwork. When you purchase an ArtShare, you become a part-owner of the artwork you’ve chosen. The more shares you own, the larger your ownership stake. It is similar to buying a share of stock in a company, except art is more beautiful and you can visit it in a museum. Shareholder benefits also include voting rights and perks granted by the relevant artist and/or museum.

  • No. Definitely not like currently popular NFTs. ArtShares have value because of their connection to tangible museum-quality artworks.  NFTs are not connected to other assets and have value only based on the NFT itself. Value is an individual’s judgment, but it has been universally acknowledged throughout history that tangible art, especially museum-quality art, is valuable.

  • Whether you’re an investor, a donor, or both, the ArtShare experience makes investing or giving better by making it more personal and connected to you.  It’s also a fun way to discover and engage with art, artists, and museums you may not have seen otherwise. If you like art, you’re going to love ArtShare!

    If you currently invest in stocks, then ArtShare provides a new, exciting opportunity to easily invest in an asset class with outstanding historical returns: 2X the S&P 500 over the last 20 years. Fine art can be an outstanding addition to any investment portfolio!

    If you currently donate to museums or artists, then ArtShare enables you to give support in a more personal, connected way than contributing to general funds. You choose individual artworks that are meaningful to you and you become a co-owner alongside the museums and artists you’re supporting. Contributing to a general cause is good, but participating as a co-owner is better!

  • Similar to many already-familiar stock trading platforms, but friendlier and easier to explore and trade. When an artwork is first offered, customers will be invited to purchase shares for $50 each until they sell out. Customers can also purchase shares directly in our marketplace, or request to sell shares they own. ArtShare will match buyers and sellers once a week to fulfill trades. This is a platform for art patrons and investors seeking long-term appreciation in assets they care about. ArtShare is not for day traders.

  • ArtShare is the only platform partnering with museums and one of the few to invite everyday people of all incomes to invest in art. Other incumbents are already fractionalizing art, but working apart from museums and only targeting wealthy clients. We believe this ignores the vital role museums have played over time in service of art and the public trust. Art should be for everyone.

  • ArtShare enables artists to directly control sales of their work, provides royalties on secondary sales, and helps artists form ongoing relationships across a wider patron base. We believe many aspects of the status quo art market are broken for artists. ArtShare seeks to empower creators by addressing these problems and giving artists a direct platform to market themselves.

  • Customers discover and buy shares in your art on our platform. The work can be in your collection and not yet offered or currently with a museum, gallery, or collector. ArtShare uses a three-stage process to onboard works onto our platform:

    • Professional assessment: ArtShare’s curatorial panel will assess the work’s quality.

    • Customer engagement: ArtShare will evaluate data to understand customer interest.

    • Multi-party agreement: Artist, museum, gallery, and/or collector all agree to list the work.

  • It’s simple: we start with a conversation. Email us and our team members will work with you to understand your goals and what success looks like. We’ll share any insights ArtShare has gathered on customers’ interest in you and your art. You’ll share what artworks you are interested in adding to the platform and which museums you are currently working with. From there we’ll jointly define a plan that meets your goals and start working to achieve it!

  • Collectors can buy and sell works on ArtShare, more easily than on other platforms. Uniquely, ArtShare also enables shared transactions. Looking to co-acquire a work with some partners? Or have a group of buyers wanting to buy one of your works? ArtShare makes both easy.

  • If you are looking to invest, you can buy shares and accumulate majority positions where desired over time. If you are interested in the full purchase of an artwork where shares are held by many shareholders, ArtShare can assist with forming a buyout offer.

    If you are looking to sell art from your collection, ArtShare uses a three-stage process to onboard works onto our platform:

    • Professional assessment: ArtShare’s curatorial panel will assess the work’s quality.

    • Customer engagement: ArtShare will evaluate data to understand customer interest.

    • Multi-party agreement: Collector, Artist, and museum/gallery (if relevant) all agree to list the work.

  • It’s simple: we start with a conversation. Email us and our team members will work with you to understand your goals and what success looks like. We’ll share any insights ArtShare has gathered on customers’ interest in your art. You’ll share what artworks you are interested in adding to the platform and which museums you are currently working with. From there we’ll jointly define a plan that meets your goals and start working to achieve it!