In 2017, Observer posed this question: As the online art auction space shrinks, is Artsy the heir apparent? In the years since, the art world has had many ups and downs, but the online art brokerage created in 2009 by Carter Cleveland has forged ahead, building partnerships with major institutions and a monumental digital library of for-sale artworks while edging out early challengers like Paddle8 and Auctionata. “Many of our competitors in the early days wanted to disrupt the art industry, so they would either compete directly with galleries by bringing artists on to their online galleries or compete with auction houses by running their own auction sites,” Cleveland told Observer in 2019. “These companies were able to generate revenue a lot faster than us because they went straight to that transactional model. But ultimately, the amount of inventory they could get was very limited because the rest of the industry didn’t want to work with them.”
That, in a nutshell, is how Artsy, which launched as a platform for artwork discovery, eventually became the largest online art marketplace globally by offering auction houses and art galleries a way to pivot to online sales—something the art world could no longer avoid during the pandemic. Today, the company is both a place to buy art and an influential voice in the art world—its industry reports and buyer facing editorial content help shape narratives around what’s hot in art right now.
Overseeing it all is newly appointed Artsy president Dustyn Kim, the first woman ever in the role. She joined the company as chief revenue officer in 2017, and she’s been largely responsible for expanding Artsy’s gallery business and strengthening its secondary market offerings. “It’s amazing to look at Artsy’s progression these past seven years,” she told Observer when we asked Kim about her work at Artsy. From there, she opened up about the evolution of the company and its users, the mechanics of building relationships in the art world and her own art collection.
You’ve been with Artsy since 2017. What initially attracted you to the company? From what I understand, you weren’t always in the art world.
My professional background centered on data and technology companies prior to Artsy, but art has always been a part of my life. My mom is an artist. She had multiple jobs in the art world—from working at a print- and paper-making studio to teaching college courses on painting. She did this while trying to build her practice and art world recognition, and I saw firsthand how difficult this industry can be. When the Artsy opportunity came along, I knew immediately that this was a company and a mission—to expand the art market to support more artists—that I wanted to be a part of. It was one of those moments in life where everything just clicked. All of those years developing an expertise in business finally paired with an industry that I’m passionate about evolving and growing.
What has your progression at Artsy been like in terms of responsibility?
I started by leading our Galleries & Fairs business, helping to grow the number of galleries that partner with Artsy to roughly 3,200 from over 100 countries. After a few years, I assumed responsibility for our secondary market teams, expanding the number of auction houses and benefit partners on Artsy and building our Artsy Auctions and private sales business. Throughout that time, we also built a robust marketplace operations team to handle everything from cybersecurity to customer support. With my most recent promotion, I am now responsible for Artsy’s internal operations as well, including finance, legal and corporate development.
How has Artsy changed since you came on?
It’s amazing to look at Artsy’s progression these past seven years. When I joined Artsy, we were focused purely on aggregation: getting all of the world’s art and art collectors on Artsy and making the process of discovering art easier and more joyful. On the gallery partner side, that meant tackling challenges like the lack of information about artwork pricing and availability. On the collector side, that involved using our data and technology to match people with artists and artworks they may never have otherwise discovered. Next, we focused on making the process of actually buying and selling art easier and more joyful. We’ve spent years building out eCommerce and all of the infrastructure that supports it, from online payment methods to shipping integration to fraud prevention.
We are now in a position to help grow the art market by bringing this all together in what we like to call ‘the art advisor in your pocket.’ Very few people have access to art advisors, but Artsy has all of the data and functionality to fill that gap. We can guide users and help them refine their taste, develop relationships with sellers, acquire works, and manage their collections—all on Artsy.
And how have the collectors who use the platform evolved?
In Artsy’s earlier days, our user base was what I call our “power users.” This is generally a group of people already familiar with the art world. They appreciate Artsy’s ability to connect them to the world’s fairs, gallery exhibitions, and auctions and are engaged in researching and discovering both well-known blue-chip artists and up-and-coming emerging artists. This group includes both newer and more established collectors, but they generally come to Artsy with a sense of what they’re looking for and an understanding of the art world. Now, we have a much more diverse group of collectors. With over 3 million users on Artsy, we have a global audience that ranges from people looking to make their first art purchase to people who have collected for years.
Particularly for these new and aspiring collectors, we’re continuously introducing new ways to help individuals find the art they love. This includes initiatives like Foundations, our online art fair, live now, that features works from small and midsize galleries from around the world that are known for nurturing early-career artists. Works are mostly priced under $10,000, and we invite really fantastic galleries to take part and create lots of storytelling around the featured artists and works. Foundations is an ideal context to find your first (or next) art purchase and discover plenty of new artists and galleries.
A lot of your work involves relationship building—do you see that as a plus?
A fair amount of my job involves relationship building—both now and in my prior roles at Artsy. I’ve always felt that understanding your customer is a core component of any leader’s job, but for an industry as unique as ours it’s an absolute imperative. Artsy’s mission is to expand the art market. We can’t do that without a nuanced understanding and appreciation of exactly what is and isn’t working in both the physical and digital realms of art buying and selling.
Major art world moments, like fairs, are always a great opportunity to see the industry in action. I personally prefer smaller gatherings—lunches with gallery directors or a walk-through of a new exhibition—can solidify relationships while giving me a closer look at how people are using Artsy and what more they want to see from us. I recently had lunch at AP Space, for example, and was able to connect with a few artists, collectors, and gallery directors in a more casual setting. It’s moments like those where I feel like I’m ingrained in this community.
You’re an art collector yourself. What can you tell me about your collection?
With an artist mother, collecting has always been a part of my life. I remember going to a benefit auction with my mom much earlier in my career and using my savings to bid on a vibrant 9-by-9-inch work on paper by Carol Salmanson. I was drawn to the calligraphic flow of the work, overlaid with fine, bright brushstrokes. Over the years, I’ve continued to refine my taste and viewpoint on the type of collection I want to build. At this point, I’m focused primarily on acquiring works by women artists. I also lean more towards emerging artists, partly because they are more likely to be within my budget range but more so because I want to directly support artists who may not yet be in the spotlight.
My most recent purchase was a work by Gabrielė Aleksė, a Lithuanian artist I discovered through Artsy. I initially saw her paintings in one of our “Curators’ Picks: Emerging Artists” collections on Artsy and was immediately drawn to the serenity of her works. I started following her on Artsy and watched as new works became available, eventually finding a work that I couldn’t live without that is now proudly displayed in my home. That’s the beauty of Artsy: I never would have known of this artist living and working over 4,000 miles away from me had Artsy not helped me discover her and then guided me through the international purchase process.