Date: Fri 17-Sep-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: JUDIR

Quick Words:

Artnet.Com-AOL-online

Full Text:

Artnet.Com Announces Agreement With AOL

HAMBURG, GERMANY/NEW YORK CITY -- Artnet.com announced that it had signed an

agreement with America Online, Inc. to bring Artnet.com's premiere art

auctions, content, services and resources to the largest consumer audience in

cyberspace. Through placements in the Shop@AOL, AOL.COM, CompuServe and

Netscape shopping destinations, Artnet.com will be available to AOL's more

than 18 million members as well as millions of visitors to other AOL, Inc.

brands.

Artnet.com will be an anchor tenant in the Shop@AOL Art & Antiques department

and a silver tenant in the Auctions department, which will offer AOL members

and visitors to its Web-based brands "one-click" access to the key sites on

the Web to buy and sell high-end art. Artnet.com will also be promoted to the

Influence and Entertainment Channels as well as in other areas of AOL, AOL.COM

and Netscape Netcenter. In addition, Artnet.com will expand its international

marketing strategy with a presence on AOL and CompuServe in Germany. The AOL

keyword is artnet.

Artnet.com was the first company to offer high-end art auctions online in

March of this year and is considered to be the primary Internet pioneer in

bringing the $15 billion international art market online. "We are pleased to

provide our customers with quick and easy access to the great art offerings at

Artnet.com," said Greg Shove, vice president for Interactive Marketing at AOL.

"Our goal is to offer the best selection of products and services online, and

we think Artnet.com will be a great way for people visiting our family of

brands to find high-end art."

Artnet.com kicked off the alliance with a three-week theme event which started

September 16 called "Icons of the 20th Century." The event offers new and

seasoned buyers the most recognizable works of art and images of cultural

icons of this century for sale in Artnet.com auctions and in the galleries.

Artnet.com was recently selected " Forbes Favorite" art and antiques site on

the Web. Published in the fall 1999 issue of Forbes Interactive Money Guide ,

Forbes editors reviewed more than 1,000 Web sites and picked 250 that are

superior. Forbes saluted Artnet.com as "the best Web site of its kind" in the

art and antiques category. Only one site in each of the 34 categories was

given this honor.

Founded in 1989, Artnet.com is the Internet portal to the world of art and

internationally recognized as the premier site on the Web for art content and

e-commerce. Through its online auctions, member gallery and artist sites,

magazine, bookstore and art research tools and resources, Artnet.com empowers

people from around the world to make art a part of their lives. Artnet.com AG

is a public company traded on Germany's Neuer Markt.