20x200 Returning?

The following is the entire text of a blog post made two weeks ago by Jen Bekman, self-described "Founder + CEO @ 20x200. Shopgirl @ Jen Bekman Gallery. Hey, Hot Shot! proprietress. Art for everyone evangelist. Opinionated lady":

Today also happens to be 20x200's birthday. It's been an admittedly weird year for my beloved Art for Everyone initiative, but months of insane stress + drama—tempered by generous doses of dogged persistence, irrational optimism + the unconditional support of loved ones, friends + colleagues—have resulted in me getting my baby back. There's still a lot (al lot) to do, but we're in full-on reboot mode and hope to be online again soon. Hallelujah + amen.

So it appears that 20x200 might return. The site, if you don't know of it, offered original art, in some cases by famous artists, for as little as $20. Prints at that price were limited to 200 copies, hence the name, pronounced "twenty by two hundred." The venture apparently imploded early this year. I never bought from them—the ones I wanted always sold out too fast (having had some experience in that arena, I have to say I like the idea of, say, 80x200 a lot better. This sort of business model is harder than it looks). But we're in favor of the basic idea, as you may know.

And by the way, may I just say I love this Christian Chaize project.

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Mike
(Thanks to Oren Grad)

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Comments

[Bob Rosinsky]

Too brilliant for words!

[Michael T.]

I miss 20x200 and will be very glad to see its return. I too was never to acquire the image at the size I wanted since they sold out before I got to them! On-line galleries (as well as physical galleries) have struggled with a viable business model. I wonder how 20x200 will compete against the likes of Amazon teaming with art galleries?

[Alexandre V.]

Where are those pictures taken? it really looks like they were taken in Porto Covo, Portugal. In the night shot you can even see the lights of Sines (my hometown) in the background!

I'm almost sure it's there! I have a picture of the beach next to that one :)

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/7707/asc4.jpg

[Ben]

I bought from them once but, being in Europe, the shipping cost more than the print so, when it arrived, damaged, it effectively killed the whole idea for me. Why they couldn't find a Europe-based fulfilment partner is beyond me.

[Daniel Sroka]

While I have appreciated 20x200's organizational and curatorial professionalism, I worry that their pricepoint might be encouraging the idea that photography is a "cheap art" worth very little money.

The press applauded how the organization made good money, yet if you do the math, the photographers themselves made relatively little through these editions, probably hoping the sale would bring them that nebulous quality called "exposure".

I would like to see an online gallery that was not only concerned with their profitability, but also the sustainability of their artists' careers.

[Joseph Holmes]

Daniel,

Not true. 20x200's contract with photographers was essentially the same as a gallery's contract with its artists, which should be no surprise since Bekman also ran a brick and mortar gallery in NYC. Supporting artists was one of Jen's primary, explicit goals with the project and, in my case at least, she succeeded very well. I can't wait for 20x200 to return.

[Tim Clark]

Hope they send the print I paid for never received. Ordered on Jan 24th and they took my money the same day.

All I ever received from them is this e-mail on Feb 10:

Thanks for reaching out, and our sincerest apologies for not being in touch sooner. We normally try to respond to our collectors' emails within 24 hours. Right now, though, we're in the midst of a transition here at 20x200, so there have been some hiccups in our process. We're working hard to get things back on track, and will have more news about what's next in the coming week.

Right now, filling orders that were placed before January 31st is our highest priority. Many orders shipped out late last week, and more will be on their way within the next few days. We're very sorry for the delay, and hope you can bear with us.

Again, we're so sorry that our communication has been slow—and even more important, that your art has been delayed! We expect a smoother road ahead, and will report back with more details about your order as soon as we have them.

With art for everyone,
Team 20x200

Still don't have my money or art, despite many follow up e-mails which went unanswered.