...I've never met Jen Bekman, but I totally love her:
via NYTimes, 2/28/08, Easing the Pain of Collecting:
[...] There are the neo-Classical-style white marble lamps she bought on eBay when she returned to New York jobless after the bust and could barely afford the $90.
And there are the photographs, paintings and drawings that fill walls that were bare until recently, accumulated during her latest incarnation: as an increasingly influential art world insider.
Few people in that world had heard of Ms. Bekman five years ago, when she used credit cards and the $20,000 in her 401(k) to open Jen Bekman Gallery, on Spring Street near the Bowery.
She had no experience to speak of — she had never even bought a photograph or a painting — but she did have two clear goals: to help emerging artists become more appreciated, and to encourage a broader swath of people to feel comfortable buying art.
To further those aims, she initiated several online projects, including Hey, Hot Shot! (heyhotshot.com), a regular competition for emerging photographers that offers winners representation by the gallery; and personism.com, a blog about photography, design and current events.
In September Ms. Bekman introduced another Web site, 20x200.com, which sells limited-edition high-quality prints of photographs and fine art for as little as $20. Almost at once, the site was in the black and gaining attention.
For more discussion see ed_winkleman: Egalitarian Issues in Art Buying.
