NYC Collector and "total art fanatic by night and weekend":

"[20x200] is wonderfully accessible. Possibly the single best affordable art project we've ever seen! Every artist should do one!

On Kate Bingaman-Burt's, Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Carts #1:

"We bought one immediately, which we got [promptly] last week! It looked even better in person."

Read the full entry on MAO's blog.

Jen speaking on 20x200 at the Apple Store Soho on Wed, Sept 26 as part of the NYC Photobloggers series, with photographers, Eliot Shepard and Joe Holmes presenting as well. [Background: Amy Ross's Manshroom.] Photo by Caitlin Oppermann.

Kelly Kingman, has written up a nice piece in The Villager on Jen, the gallery, and highlights some interesting points about art collecting. Jen discussed her vision of making art accessible and affordable and how 20x200 is not just about buying inexpensive art prints, but about becoming a collector and supporting emerging artists:

“My frustration all along has been having people come through and I see that they want to buy things but they can’t or they just weren’t ready. I really wanted to address a range of collectors — existing collectors but also to give new collectors a path to follow. It’s been really fun. [...] I don’t think that something has to be expensive to be good. It’s a very personal experience.�

“When a collector buys from me they’re having an impact on someone’s career, they’re making it possible for that person to continue to make art. There aren’t a lot of consumer behaviors that have that same kind of feel-good hit. You can really have an impact on someone’s career and also get to enjoy the art, too.�

Read the article on The Villager website or continue after the break.

Continue reading "Jen Profiled in The Villager: The Gallery + Art Collecting" »

Monday, October 15, 2007

Your Walls Should Talk

Excuse me sir, would you like that photo super-sized?

Yes, we gab a lot about finding cool, original-yet-affordable stuff for your home. Maybe it's because we hate the idea of you living in an apartment with sparse, white walls, or even worse, some framed Van Gogh poster that your parents forced you to buy at MoMA.

Enter our new hero, Lower East Side gallery owner Jen Bekman, and her Web site, 20x200. The gist: Jen realized that there were a lot of people looking for a place to sell their art and even more people who were looking to buy it. She makes a connection between the groups by introducing two new pieces on her site every Tuesday and Wednesday: one photo and one work on paper. Each image is available in three sizes, with a price to fit every budget. Small (an edition of 200 sold at $20), medium (an edition of 20 for $200) or large (editions of two for around $2,000). They only hard part is deciding on which one you want to score.

Ridiculously affordable art that comes in every size...we think it's finally time to stop making excuses, and take down those freaking water lilies!

- Caroline Stanley

101Cookbooks:
"Bravo to Jen Bekman and the 20x200 crew for making prints available for just $20 dollars - it's such a cool idea."

Apartment Therapy: The Nursery

It is a new way to think about buying art, and we like it. 20x200 is a very elegant, Web 2.0 sort of way of bringing people who need art in contact with people who sell their art.

20x200 has a blog, which gives a little more information about each piece, which is fun. And while 20x200 may be new - it just launched in September 07 - we have bookmarked this site as one to watch. We are always looking for affordable art for our home, and never so much as now that we have a child joining us, and are looking forward to seeing what 20x200 showcases next.

Amy Stein Photography

I have ... received my first two pieces from 20x200. Arriving were gorgeous prints by Amy Ross and Carrie Marill, respectively. Both prints are still available. [Update: Carrie Marill edition of 200 sold out.] For only $20! What are you people waiting for? Beyond the solid curating, Jen Bekman has done a wonderful job with all the identity work around 20x200. When your prints arrive it really is an impressive production.

Boing Boing features Birds of the Rockies by New York artist, Laura Levine.

Casasugar, Great Art Online: 20x200
Getting your art collection started is often limited by your pocketbook. The only way I could afford my first large art purchase was because I bartered an artist friend for it. So what to do if you're art-friend-free and low on the benjamins? Why, turn to the internet, of course. One site that I'm in love with is 20x200.

Design Mom:
"It's a smart idea and a great way to bring art into your home."

Design Sponge:
"A wonderful resource for affordable prints."

New York Post - Page Six Magazine
Sunday October 7, 2007, Page 59
Culture - Totally Legal Substance

Easy Access Art

Gallerist Jen Bekman's new project offers prints for only $20.
Consider it a gateway to springing for those Rothkos.

This belief in art for everyone has led Bekman to create 20x200, a Web site and online art gallery that launched last month as a digital extension of her Spring St. space. Through the site, the New York native sells limited editions of striking photographs and works on paper by emerging artists such as Kelly Shimoda and Youngna Park, and starting a $20 each, they go fast. The entire edition of 200 prints tends to sell out within a week, lending the work a fast-changing, addictive quality - many buyers grab two or three pieces at once. Bekman, a self-proclaimed "cultural populist," wouldn't have it any other way.

"I like to think of this as a gateway drug to collecting," she says. "buying art and actually holding it in your hands is one of life's great pleasures. But so many people are afraid to go for it. Now they can do it once a week." - Rachel Syme, Oct. 7, 2007

See the scan after the jump.

Continue reading "20x200 in Page Six Magazine" »

Jen Trolio has written a piece about 20x200 in the current issue of ReadyMade, a lovely print magazine "for people who like to make stuff." Be sure to pick one up the next time you peruse through the design section of the newsstands as there may be hints contained inside for editions to come. As the article is not available online, here is a transcription of the text:

INSIDE EDITION

New York gallery owner Jen Bekman is fed up with the notion that a $5,000 price tag on art is a bargain. So after nearly [five] years of running her eponymous Soho space, Bekman, a long-time supporter of emerging photographers, set out to offer aspiring collectors something a bit easier on the pocketbook. The resulting venture - an online showroom called 20x200 - offers small-scale prints, photographs, and mixed media in limited editions of 200 for $20 a pop. Bekman's business model - inspired by Tiny Showcase, another online purveyor of small batch broadsides - provides a simple way to ease into the world of high art.

"There's this weird, dark cloud over the concept of affordable art that equates affordability with mediocrity," Bekman says. "I'm trying to create a unique opportunity to purchase quality art ... at an insanely affordable price."

New work is posted twice a week. Artists showcased thus far include Kate Bingaman-Burt [...] and Tema Stauffer. Visit 20x200.com to get your own mini masterpeice. - Jen Trolio

The scan can be viewed after the jump.

Continue reading "20x200 in ReadyMade Magazine" »

Many thanks to everyone who is expressing excitement, interest and enthusiasm during our first week of official launch. We have been working many months on this project and it's really exciting to have this out in the world and to be receiving so much great feedback.

Laurel Ptak, from I Heart Photograph, prepares to wreck havoc on her storage of loose change, and advises others to follow suit with the following war cry: "Get ready to crack your piggy banks open!"

Lisa Hunter, author of The Intrepid Art Collector, writes:

Taste Without a Trust Fund

I know, I know. Some art expert probably told you not to buy prints, because multiples don't appreciate as much as unique works. So what? Personally, I think prints are the BEST thing for a new collector, because they're relatively affordable and easy to resell if your tastes change later on (which they almost always do.) How affordable is "affordable"?

[...] The so-simple-it's-brilliant idea is that if prints are sold in a large-ish edition (in this case, 200), anyone with a disposable income can afford to buy them. 20x200 has already signed up artists like Brian Ulrich and Whitney Biennial alumna Zoe Strauss.

Jhayne, from Black . White . Bliss is "all about affordable art for all!" Kate and Mike are featured on her blog this week:

I just might have to pick up Kate Bingaman-Burt's I Bought All of These. Kate is actually having a show over at Jen Bekman, opening on September 21st. [Reception 6 - 8pm] p.s. Kate's also a great blogger! Be sure and visit Crap Detector and Obsessive Consumption.

On Tuesday's Edition, "Untitled" by Mike Monteiro : "I love this, just makes me laugh. The artist statement also cracked me up: I'm really not good with words. It's tough to see the handmade-ness of it looking at a .jpg online, but the prints themselves are velvety and gorgeous - you can see the texture of the brushstrokes, and the irregularity of the borders of the letters. All that aside, it's just funny and true."

We are very flattered that BuzzFeed, whose slogan is "The web is a 24/7 popularity contest. We help the good stuff win" is following 20x200 on their Culture Buzz section:

20x200 is new online project from NY gallery owner Jen Bekman that makes great art affordable. Aspiring art collectors now have an affordable place to start: works from up-and-coming artists can be bought with a high school allowance.

Michael Sippey, VP of Products for the Professional Division at Six Apart:

Jen is one of the web's original pioneers ... It's great to see her combine two of her (many) passions -- art and the web -- into this new venture... Jen has a great eye, and the work that's already up is fantastic. If you've never bought art before, maybe this is the way for you to get into collecting.

Graphic Design Bar observes that 20x200 is: "where art lovers can be art collectors, even on minuscule budgets...a great opportunity to start building your own collection or just acquire original art at affordable prices—check it out!"

Steel City Modern: "I love the idea, especially for residents of smaller cities where art opportunities may be somewhat limited."

OhMyThatsAwesome.com: "To the people selling their plywood collages for thousands of dollars, You're Impossible."

Thank you to the following sites, among many others, for mentioning 20x200 this week:
Design Milk, Design Observer, Gentle Graffiti, Spramp, and Laughing Squid.

Art Attack

"You’ve got Picasso dreams but you’re living on a Basquiat budget. Put your small bucks to big use at 20x200.com, a new online gallery and art shop where the motto is “It’s art for everyone!� Sensibly curated by Jen Bekman, gallerist, writer, and champion of emerging artists..."

Read Full Article

Art for everyone.

Proprietor of a small New York gallery, Jen Bekman's launched 20x200 to make art accessible to everyone. What does that mean? It means large editions of low-priced prints. It means if you have access to the Internet, and $20, you can have a work by an emerging artist. It means no more art from IKEA hanging on your walls. No more blank walls. No more excuses.

Read Full Article

Hello art lovers and welcome! My name is Mike and I will be assisting here on the blog, helping to fill you in on updates and exciting tidbits as well as all the latest with artists and new editions.

Since Jen announced the launch of 20x200 on Personism back in April, we have all been anxiously awaiting the reveal of her latest project. A lot of buzz has followed and it's fantastic that we are finally here.

I had the chance to attend a status meeting midway during the process with Jen and the rest of the 20x200 team, and sat in a trance as they engaged in a rapid spitfire of debate over a slew of technical, aesthetic and logistical issues. You can find a nice rendition of the development and creation process from chief orchestrator extraordinaire, Raul: here.

Fast-forward a couple of months later, and we have live editions up-and-running, with many admirers already gushing over the work available for purchase. (Gallery Hopper and artist Matthew Langley are pining for Tema Stuaffer, and Amy Stein has quickly grabbed an Amy Ross print for herself, while others are trying their best not to succumb to the temptation for as long as they can.)

A recapitulation of this week's 20x200 mentions:

Todd Walker of Gallery Hopper:

"Whatever reservations I have about the value of 20X200 to the participating artists and photographers, from a purely materialistic impulse, it's hard to pass up a 16"x20" Tema Stauffer print for $200."

Melissa Lyttle from APhotoADay.org has this to say about Jen and 20x200:

I like that she's trying to make art affordable as well as trying to get the public to support emerging artists. It's a win-win.

Photographer Amy Stein :

It will be interesting to see how hungry the masses are for art in large editions at low prices, but I know I will keep coming back for more.

The big Wall Street collectors may be hurting these days, but that shouldn't stop us hoi polloi from getting into the game and start building our own collections.

Notcot.org, the community of design lovers and the congnescenti's guide to instantaneous fixes on art, technology, and products, loves 20x200 and Amy Ross. Danconnortown says that 20x200 makes available: "Great art at great prices."

UnBeige's Alissa Walker gives praise to Jen and finds meaning in her life.

If there's one person who keeps us going every day when we're confronted with this crusty old keyboard and an empty screen, it's UnBeige founder Jen Bekman. Because if this whole blogging thing doesn't work out, we think, hey, maybe we'll go on to run a famous gallery in New York. And maybe we'll start a new affordable art experiment like 20x200, which just launched in semi-super-secret mode with artists like Kate Bingaman-Burt. And maybe it'll get covered in magazines like Dwell and Good.

Although, we wonder, if we did all those things, would Bekman realize that we're blatantly ripping her off?

Still...to dream.

20x200 is featured in the October issue of Dwell, with work by Kate Bingaman-Burt and Youngna Park appearing in the spread.

She's not your average pusher, but gallerist Jen Bekman intends 20x200 to be a gateway drug to the art market.

As a challenge to the hoity-toity art-buying world, Jen Bekman's newest venture presents prints by mostly emerging artists in limited editions of 200 for $20 each, or 20 for $200 each. By melding the inclusiveness of internet commerce and nonprohibitive prices with the exclusivity of a curator acting as quality control, Bekman ensures that new collectors can be confident that the "buy" button will not lead to clicker's remorse. Whether it's an alternative to mass production or an alternative to high art, Bekman realizes that $100 is still a considerable chunk of change to most people.

Kate Bingaman-Burt's I Bought All of These.
Younga Park's Brooklyn Morning

Alissa Walker of Unbeige dotes on 20x200, Hey, Hot Shot! and overall JB goodness in a little piece dubbed Art, Afforded in the July/August issue of STEP Magazine.

A Sneak Peak at 20x200

The interview further illustrates my theory that Jen is one of the nicest, most open people I’ve ever encountered; it examines the fundemental differences between 20X200 and websites based on the same aesthetic (TinyShowcase, pretty:darn:swell), her plans for the project and the state of the art-buying world in general. 20X200 launches July 27, and the lineup so far is pretty damn sweet — artists having already signed on include Youngna Park, Eliot Shepard, Zoe Strauss and Brian Ulrich — and we’ll be sure to update you with news as it emerges.

More info on 20X200

The marketing blog "murketing" has posted an interesting interview with Jen Bekman about her new 20X200 project. It elborates on many of the thoughts I've had about this initiative, including the potential ghetto-ization of the participating artists. As a business person (wow, that sounds weird), I'm also interested about the underlying economics of art as a product. Bekman picks up on this as well:

I want to create an opportunity that’s not instead of the traditional gallery environment, but in addition to it. I want more artists to make their living making art and I want the people who want to buy art, but feel that it’s too rarefied for them, to actually buy it. It’s absurd to me that there are so many of both of those types of people and yet they’re not connected with any sort of efficiency. I want to sell more art and I want more people to buy it.

The project is slated to launch July 27th.

Rob Walker [who writes the New York Times Magazine column Consumed] posts a Q+A between him and JB on his blog Murketing.

Jen Bekman 20X200: The Q&A

"Q: I noticed in the comments to your announcement somebody said something like, “This is great, an alternative to Target/Ikea blahness.� Is this project a more exclusive alternative to mass-ness, or a more inclusive alternative to the rarified high art world?

A: It’s both really, which is why it’s so exciting to me. It’s radically different than typical artworld fare because the work is so inexpensive and the editions are big by normal standards, but how can an edition of 200 of anything be mass market? 20×200 is bigger in scale than most fine art editions, but I’m not selling posters at the Met."

Continue reading the interview here.

Michel Bierut observes a little something called 20x200:

Observed: Art for Everyone

"Jen Bekman introduces 20/200: fine art prints in editions of 200, two a week, available for $20 each. Art for everyone. [MB]"

Jen Bekman on Art Collecting
GOOD Magazine

"If you’re a lover of art, or simply want to taste the thrill of collecting (and it is indeed thrilling), the internet offers a wide array of opportunities to acquire all kinds of excellent pieces, often at surprisingly affordable prices."

Read the full article here.