ArtSugar founder Alix Greenberg is making walls sweeter.Jenna Burke
Choosing art to decorate your home is never an easy task because the market is simply inundated. On one end, there’s the generic, mass-produced trend of “Live, Laugh, Love,” statement pieces sold at discount big box stores. On the other end, there’s fine art. The challenge for Millennial and Generation Z buyers is finding pieces to collect in between both of those extremes. While plenty of choices exist, there is almost too much available. Even a search for a simple piece to complement your living room can end a click hole of confusion between Instagram, Etsy, and other large marketplaces.
Enter ArtSugar
ArtSugar is an online gallery that solves this problem by curating some of the most popular artists on Instagram. Founded by Cornell and Christie’s alum, Alix Greenberg in October 2017, it fills in a much-needed gap in the market for both buyers and artists. Born and raised in New York City, Greenberg spent nearly a decade working in the fine art industry before launching the company.
While working in the art world, Greenberg noticed that emerging artists without gallery representation lacked a streamlined way to bring their art to market, despite their large social media followings. “I observed that these amazing artists were struggling to build a business selling and distributing their own work, due to cumbersome logistics and marketing challenges,” she explained. “ArtSugar solves this problem by providing a technology solution that removes these roadblocks, so that artists can create and sell, without the headache of managing backend logistics.”
The Curation Process
So many artists. Not enough wall space.Jenna Burke
ArtSugar currently offers work from 47 different artists, all of whom Greenberg personally chooses, based on a variety of criteria. “A lot of my choices are based on gut, my lifelong obsession with art, and my education. ArtSugar also only features artists with substantial social media followings, enabling me to pick artists who I know will do well on the platform based on their ability to engage their social media followers with their artwork,” she revealed.
The Goods
Once Greenberg begins working with the artist, they provide exclusive imagery to be sold on the site. While every piece is different, there is an overarching cohesiveness of likeability among everything currently available on the website.
Buying art can be intimidating. But, ArtSugar simplifies the process by offering a selection that’s perfectly curated. Images such as Hanna Panchenko’s mouth series, Jessica Siskin’s avocado toast, and portraits of celebrities including Amy Winehouse, Hillary Clinton and Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tennenbaum all have a familiar vibe. It’s happy, bright and fun art. Everything is unique but somehow it all works together. There is no need to second guess a gallery wall or mixing and matching pieces from different artists.
Greenberg is very particular about the pieces she chooses, only picking art she describes as “eye-catching, inspiring, and meaningful, and that will have a lasting impact.” She also steers clear of anything that could be interpreted as offensive or political. At the same time, she explained, “I am an art history nerd at heart and am against censorship when it comes to art. If I love a piece but know it may be a bit provocative, I will most likely include it on the site, as ArtSugar is for everyone, appealing to many tastes.”
Limited Edition Collection
Every piece ArtSugar sells is a limited edition. Most art is priced between $95-$395. While every piece is a collector’s item, the price makes it incredibly accessible. Buyers can also choose from a black or white frame, which is included in the price. This eliminates one pain point that many people buying art experience, although some pieces may be purchased unframed as well. Furthermore, this cuts the price of custom framing which can often cost more than the actual art.
Good Karma And Good Art
Greenberg is a different kind of entrepreneur.Jenna Burke
Philanthropy is one of the driving forces behind ArtSugar. A percentage of every item sold is donated to a non-profit organization. Many charities have benefited including Girls Who Code, Make A Wish Foundation, God’s Love We Deliver, The Trevor Project and Code Purple Now.
Giving back is something that is very important to Greenberg. “I was raised with parents who were both involved in philanthropic causes, and the notion of giving back has always been intertwined with my Jewish identity. Having devoted my professional and academic career to the fine-art world, the merging of the two—art and tzedakah—was kind of a no-brainer. The business model that felt right to me was capitalizing on artistic practice while simultaneously donating to various organizations meaningful to our customers and artists,” she explained.
Beyond Prints
In 2019, the site began to offer a variety of merchandise in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. Designs from Aliza Stone Howard, Hanna Panchenko, Mike Natter and Michael Turchin became available on accessory pouches, luggage tags, journals, iPhone cases, tablet cases, and travel bags.
Greenberg chose to do this because she wanted to make ArtSugar’s offerings more accessible. While not everyone is in the market for a new piece of art, most people can find a reason to treat themselves to a new phone case or accessory pouch.
How To Find The Right Piece
The only challenge of finding art on ArtSugar is that there are so many amazing pieces to choose from. To pare it down, Greenberg suggests shopping by the “What to Get” section of the site or sorting through by genre. There is also an option to shop by color for those looking to coordinate their art with a specific palette they’ve established for their home.
A Sweet Future
Greenberg looks ahead.ArtSugar
There have been many successful collaborations between ArtSugar and other brands including Wayfair, Zola, Gilt, Dormify, Betches, byrobynblair and most recently, Dylan’s Candy Bar. Greenberg plans to continue these collaborations but also expand the brand’s category offerings. “I am especially excited tap into affordable luxury with clothing and accessories and offer wearable art that gives our artists more chances to be seen. I’ve always been into fashion so incorporating this category within the ArtSugar brand is definitely a goal of mine.”