An in-depth interview with ARTVORA

Tao is a well-known Chinese blogger, with over 800,000 subscribers to his business blog. His column, Tao Talk, features in-depth conversations with entrepreneurs from various industries, providing readers with the latest, most direct, and authentic business insights. It’s one of the most popular business interview columns. Below is the interview Tao conducted with Chris, the owner of Artvora, in May 2024.

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Chris is an art dealer who currently runs an online store called artvora.com, which exclusively sells hand-painted oil paintings, unlike other similar stores that often sell canvas prints. I was curious about how such a niche business model could thrive in today’s market, so I reached out to Chris to discuss his art business.

(The conversation will be abbreviated as T for Tao and C for Chris)

T: You look younger than I expected! (laughs)

C: Really? Haha, how old did you think I was?

T: You were born in 1980, right? You look like you’re in your 20s.

C: Haha, thanks. I guess my work hasn’t worn me out enough yet. (laughs)

 

(Chris's self-portrait）

T: Can you tell us about your background? What led you to start this online store?

C: I’ve always been involved in the internet industry, though not in tech – more in business roles. I also have an MBA. Around 2016, I began exploring the art market, including antiques, jewelry (which I consider art), and ceramics, but oil paintings intrigued me the most. Around 2017-2018, my partner and I ventured into oil paintings. We even opened a gallery and signed a group of talented painters. My partner, Lyra, is a professional oil painting teacher who also lectures part-time at a university. We had a good run and attracted some early customers, but then COVID-19 hit. Business came to a halt as people stopped visiting galleries, and our cash flow was severely impacted. This forced me to rethink our business model, which led to the idea of selling online. Initially, I was skeptical about selling oil paintings online, as it's something you really need to see up close to appreciate. But my partner convinced me, and I had confidence in the quality of our paintings. By cutting gallery overheads, I felt we had a competitive edge.

T: Tell me about the name Artvora. Why did you choose it?

C: Art is self-explanatory. Vora means "edge" in Catalan. Our name means "on the edge of art." We don’t have the vast collections that major galleries possess, and our works are more about bringing genuine oil paintings into everyday homes. They have artistic value but are perhaps at the "edge" of what fine art typically represents. As our slogan says, "Your Gateway to Genuine Art." We see ourselves as a door to art, not an art temple.

T: Did you always intend for the name to carry such deep meaning?

C: Honestly, we had about ten other names in mind, but they were all registered! (laughs) This one stuck because it was in Catalan, so we got lucky.

T: (laughs) I noticed that your website prominently states that you only sell 100% hand-painted oil paintings. Why are you so committed to that? As an art dealer, you must know that prints are more popular – they’re cheaper, have high fidelity, and customers love them. Why not sell prints? Do you despise them for stealing your business?

C: Despise prints? Not at all! Let me tell you a story. I was born in the 80s, and as a child, I received a book featuring illustrations of stamps from around the world. I was fascinated by the beautiful artwork. Do you know what I did next? I spent my pocket money on a stamp album and meticulously cut out the stamp illustrations from the book, carefully trimming around the perforations to make them look like real stamps. I collected hundreds of these "stamps" and proudly showed them off to my friends, who laughed at me for collecting fake stamps. They weren’t valuable, but to me, they were just as precious as the real thing. These were printed copies, but to me, they were just as close to reality.

T: So your artistic journey started with fake stamps?

C: Exactly. They made me realize how impactful art can be. So, I completely understand and support customers who buy prints. With today’s technology, prints can replicate almost every detail of a masterpiece – except the texture.

T: Ah, texture. Is that the main reason you don’t sell prints – because they can’t reproduce the texture?

C: That’s one reason. I’m quite traditional. I believe the texture of oil paint is a crucial part of its artistic value. Without it, oil paintings lose something essential – their soul, in my opinion. But that’s just my personal view. I understand why people buy prints; I just prefer hand-painted works.

T: Would you say you value originality more? But your website sells many famous reproductions, some of which don’t closely resemble the originals.

C: True. You might not know this, but reproductions rarely, if ever, match the original exactly. Masters are masters for a reason. Their genius is hard to replicate, even for professional artists. Just like how no player can bend a free kick quite like Beckham, even if they’re also pros. Most reproduction artists add their own interpretation – they take inspiration from the original’s mood and composition but ultimately create a piece that reflects their style. This reinterpretation is also a part of oil painting as an art form.

T: I’m not an expert in art, especially oil paintings, so let’s get practical. Hand-painted oil paintings are much more expensive than prints. How do you manage costs and profits?

C: That’s a key question. Hand-painted oil paintings involve significant labor, and they can’t be mass-produced like prints. Even if we standardize processes for certain home décor pieces, no two paintings will ever be identical. There’s always going to be a difference between what the customer sees in the photos and the final painting. So pricing becomes interesting – should two slightly different paintings have the same price? We try to protect customer interests. For example, if one reproduction by an artist is worth $80 and another similar piece is slightly less refined and worth $70, we price both at $70. This way, we ensure fairness to customers while leveraging our experience from offline sales to set a consistent and reasonable floor price.

T: It seems like you avoided my question about costs and profits.

C: Haha, I know I can’t dodge it forever! There’s no big secret. Everyone knows that labor costs in China are relatively low, including for artists. The demand for oil paintings here is also smaller. Many fine art graduates from prestigious art schools struggle to sell even one or two paintings a year if they stick to their craft. As a result, many turn to other professions, like graphic design in tech companies, which is a tragic loss of talent. Many of the artists we work with are these young, talented artists. They may lack experience or refinement, but they have strong artistic taste and professional training. I want to give them opportunities to showcase and sell their work, to ensure that oil painting as an art form continues. So, after factoring in the artist’s costs and our own operations, we can still offer prices that allow us to make a profit. Because the cost of acquiring our artworks is among the lowest in the world, we’re able to offer our paintings at highly competitive prices.

T: Some might say this sounds like exploitation of young artists.

C: (laughs) Do you know how much they would make in the current market? I pay them more than double the standard rate. The extra pay is my way of supporting the industry, and of course, by offering better compensation, the artists produce higher-quality work. It’s a win-win situation.

T: I get it. I may not know much about the oil painting world, but even I know that Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime for 50 francs.

C: (laughs) True, but he also gave away two paintings, which later sold for nine dollars each—during his lifetime, of course. (laughs)

T: Let’s move on from money. Earlier, you told that story about stamps, and it made me think. People don’t collect stamps anymore; they’ve largely faded into history. Do you worry that oil painting might follow a similar path, becoming a less popular art form? We’re already seeing trends in modern art and digital art, like those NFT avatars selling for outrageous sums. Do you think oil painting might one day go the way of the stamp?

C: That’s definitely something to consider. Even though I’m traditional, I recognize the growing artistic value of modern and digital art. Print technology has also reached new heights. A few decades ago, even if someone wanted a high-quality print reproduction, they couldn’t get one. I don’t reject new art forms, but I do believe oil painting should retain a place in the market. Sometimes, technological advancements do eliminate certain fields, like how email replaced the need for postage stamps. I’ve always valued the texture of oil paintings, but now, with the rapid advancement of 3D printing, who’s to say it won’t eventually replicate even the texture? I believe it’s possible. But will oil painting disappear entirely? I’m optimistic. If no one continues creating original works, then what will there be to reproduce? Imagine a world where every home has a perfectly replicated Van Gogh, down to the last texture – wouldn’t that be boring?

T: So, in a way, you’re not just a businessman, but also an idealist trying to save a particular art form.

C: (laughs) I wouldn’t go that far. I just want to contribute to the survival of the industry in my own small way. After all, no single person can stop the tides of history.

T: What’s your plan for the future? Do you plan to expand into other art forms?

C: For now, we’re focused on doing a good job with oil paintings, as most of our resources are centered around that. But when the time is right, we may branch out into other areas, like photos, ceramics, and small-scale sculptures, as long as they fit within our vision of enhancing home décor with art. Anything that aligns with our mission of bringing art into people’s homes is on the table.

T: Including prints?

C: (laughs) Yes, I won’t say never. We’ll see how things develop.

T: It’s been great talking with you today. I wish your website continued success, and I hope oil painting as an art form thrives.

C: Thank you so much.