Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and Arteïa?
I am a holding a computer engineer diploma (EISTI), a Master of Computer Science (Florida Institute of Technology) and a Master of Business Administration (Sciences Po Paris). I have always been an entrepreneur at heart, and for the last ten year also an investor looking for new challenges and new projects to invest in.
After working at Marvin Software (Reuters) and Microsoft, I co-founded an e-marketing startup called Endromis in 1999.
10 years ago, I started to manage my parents’ art collection and looked at the existing tools on the market and did not find anything satisfying. I am an IT engineer and had a precise idea of what I wanted. So, I started to develop a small tool for myself.
In January 2016, I met Philippe and Marek, who were looking for investors for their project. We shared the same vision, and after investing I joined the adventure and since then have worked with them to develop the best collection management system: We launched Arteïa Collect in October 2018.
Now we are working on the second part of our vision: Linking this cataloging system to a matching platform which connects together different actors of the art scene for art lending and trading. This process is supported by an art provenance ledger.
How do you think blockchain will impact the Art Market?
We believe the art market is one of the perfect use cases for blockchain technology.
We aim at bringing more transparency, liquidity, and efficiency to the art market through a blockchain based global platform of services for actors of the art ecosystem.
We link a collection management system to a matching platform supported by a provenance ledger.
- Collectors and Artists can inventory their artworks on our cataloging solution.
- Artists can then upload the information on a provenance database secured by blockchain.
- We will create matching rooms for lending and trading, where art owners can meet museums looking for artworks for their exhibitions, and sellers and buyers can meet for trading artworks, all of this with the ability to check the provenance of the artworks on the provenance ledger.
Blockchain technology also brings “pseudo-anonymity” allowing the respect of KYC/AML regulations, while providing the first level of anonymity that creates a fairer marketplace, independent of the name of the buyer or seller.
Our partnership with Cahiers d’Art is also proof that the market is waiting for this technology.
We are creating the standard for digital catalogue raisonnés anchored on the blockchain, working directly with the artists, like Adel Abdessemed, an international figure in contemporary art, to store the best information possible from the best source: the artist.
How do you see the future of Arteïa in the years to come?
In only 3 years, we have created a company with almost 30 people in 4 different countries.
With Arteïa Collect, we have proved we can deliver and are very proud of our team of programmers. It is a very good sign for the future of Arteïa.
Our partnerships with Cahier d’Art, and with the famous insurance company, Eeckman Art & Insurance, specialized in art, shows that we are able to connect with this market that we have known for many years, being ourselves collectors and working with this industry for more than 20 years.
We have raised more than 3M€ through renown investors and gathered experienced advisors around our project. It gives us a solid background, it is a huge chance to be able to count on advisors coming from art, blockchain and traditional finance. We are very thankful for their involvement in the project.
I believe we are on the path to becoming a global platform of services bringing value to every actor of the art market.
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