TurningArt Raises $750K To Be The Netflix For Artwork

TurningArt, a startup that aims bring a Netflix-like model to the art world, has secured $750,000 in seed funding led by NextView Ventures with participation from Niraj Shah, Steve Conine, Thomas Lehrman, and Will Herman.

Launched in August 2010, TurningArt allows customers to rotate prints of contemporary artists in their home or office for as little as $9.99 per month. Similar to the way you pick movies on your Netflix account, customers can build a queue of artwork they’d like ‘rent’, and TurningArt will then ship that artwork at their preferred frequency.

Customers can rotate pieces for as long as they like, and have the option to purchase whenever they are ready. Every dollar spent during the subscription plan can be applied towards the purchase of a work of art on TurningArt. Currently all art on the site is 17 inches by 21 inches but the startup plans to expand to larger formats soon. Prices for art range from $50 to 5,000 on TurningArt and all pieces come framed.

Applying a Netflix model to ‘renting’ art is an interesting idea. I’ve been tempted to buy artwork on sites like 20X200 but I’m not sure how the artwork will look in my home and would like to see the piece in person before making the investment. TurningArt allows me to test out a price and buy it if it ends up being a fit.