From buying an original painting to decorating with trendy prints, these are the best places to buy art online. Read my hands-on reviews.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. Saatchi Art – Best for Investment-Worthy Art
Credit: Saatchi Art
Highlight: Provides a solid foundation to start your art investment portfolio.
Helpful review: After countless hours of perusing online galleries, Saatchi Art stood out to me as the best for art lovers who are looking to invest in original paintings. For starters, you’re never going to lack in variety. And we’re not just talking about the difference between abstracts, landscapes, or portraits. Aside from painting, Saatchi art offers photography, sculpture, and mixed media, too. They also chose pieces based on quality, originality, and emerging trends. So there’s something for every taste, every color scheme, and every budget.
Speaking of dollars, if you’re new to investing in art, you might be unsure about dishing out the big bucks for a piece of canvas with a strange circle on it. How is that six thousand dollars? That’s why Saatchi art has a special ‘under 500’ category to help you find affordable investment pieces to get things rolling.
Fear not, friends, understanding the value of art is a journey. And that’s why Saatchi art offers art advisory services to help you understand the power of investing and the potential value of each piece. Their advisory service is so helpful for novices, providing insights and guidance that demystify the art market, and really add a personal touch to the investment journey.
Saatchi Art provides a transparent and accessible platform for investing in art. Their “View in Your Room” feature even allows buyers to visualize how art pieces would look in their own space. Trust me, this is an invaluable detail. As a visual person, I need to see what it looks like before making the leap.
Overall, it’s important to remember that business and beauty are two separate categories. And if you’re thinking you might not need extra guidance in your future investing, consider this: In 2000, the Tate Museum in Britain bought a can of poop for $30,000. Even crazier, sixteen years later, an art auction Milan sold another can of poop for $300,000! Yep, you read that right.
So take it from me, when it comes to investing in original art, you’re going to need variety, assistance, and guidance. And there’s no better place to do it than Saatchi Art.
Check out Saatchi Art now!
2. MoMA Design Store – Best for Artistic Home Decor
Credit: MoMA Design Store
Highlight: Vastest selection of art-inspired home decor.
Helpful review: When I bought my first home, every wall was a different color, and although this was one of the things I loved most about the little quirky bungalow, it meant that every piece of art I hung stood out. I mean, think about it. Sometimes home decor blends in, but not when your wall is already a piece of art. So when it came to actually decorating, it meant that I needed to choose carefully.
The MoMA Design Store is great for anyone looking to fill their home with artful elegance. Art isn’t just about what hangs on the walls, after all. It’s the style of your coffee table, the color of your barstool, the flowerpot holding your roses. Decor is in the details, and no place understands that more than MoMa Design Store.
The store’s unique selection ensures you won’t get bored decorating, either. From a prismatic side table, to a Peacock clock, there’s a variety of unique products for every object you could possibly need for each room in your house. And even better? You can choose decor based on the style of your favorite artists. Abstract flower pot toy ala Vincent Van Gogh? Yes, please.
The MoMA Design Store has a direct connection to the world-renowned Museum of Modern Art in New York. Even better, their selection can include exclusive items designed specifically for the MoMA, so get ready to show off your in-home gallery on your home tour when your friends come over. Bragging rights aside, there’s something for everyone here.
Oh, and did I mention that each purchase supports the museum's programs? In other words, you’re able to contribute to the art community just by decorating your living room. Is this a tax write-off? I’d check with your accountant, I studied art after all.
Check out the MoMA Design Store now!
3. The MET Store – Best for Sculpture Reproductions
Credit: The MET Store
Highlight: Each fine sculpture replica reproduces an original work from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Helpful review: You don’t need an art degree to have heard of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but did you know they have their very own store? I didn’t! And now I can’t look away. Not only can you pick from art-inspired jewelry and clothing, but this is the place you want to go if you have any interest in sculptures.
Although it’s listed under Home Decor on their page, the pieces you’ll find here are so much more than anything you could buy at your local Pier 1 Imports. And that’s what I was searching for. Something authentic. Real. Okay, maybe not thousands dollars of dollars worth of original art, but something inspired by that.
The MET Store selection of sculpture reproductions are as close as one can get to owning a piece of history. The materials even mimic true marble, bold copper, dark bronze. And yes, they’re reduced in scale and size, but so is the dollar sign on the tag. As an art lover and wannabe art collector, I can’t enunciate the importance of this. Investing in art is expensive—and sculptures? Whew, yeah they can run quite the mile around your bank account.
What sets The MET Store apart from other similar online galleries is more than just the quality of its reproductions. By offering reproductions of artworks from one of the finest art museums in the world, the site provides art lovers with a tangible connection to centuries of art history. Rest assured that each piece is authentic in its historical significance.
Being able to decorate my home with a piece of art inspired by the real thing, and a piece that I can actually afford, is a reminder of so much. A reminder of my first trip to the MET, a reminder of the art I love to create, and a reminder of why sculpture is so much fun to create and admire. Talk about being inspired.
Check out the MET Store now!
4. Artnet – Best Gateway to the Global Art Market
Credit: Artnet
Highlight: Connects you to the biggest network of global galleries.
Helpful review: Artnet has an extensive network of galleries, auction houses, and artists, meaning you’re never going to get bored. And with a price database that provides insights into price trends and auction results, you can keep up to date with those pieces you’d really like to splurge on. The site not only shows artwork from all around the globe, it also gives you a front-row seat to actual galleries that are showing off art in real time.
Artnet's true strength lies in its comprehensive database and analytics. In lame’s terms, this is an invaluable tool for serious collectors and art enthusiasts around the world. Their platform includes an unmatched overview of the art market, allowing you to get a bird’s eye view of how it all connects.
Check out auction results, read up on artist information, and explore market trends. With a wealth of information in your tool box, you’ll finally feel empowered to make informed decisions, regardless of whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or simply understand how art is connected and valued in the global marketplace.
Goodbye imposter syndrome. You no longer have to dress up in your fanciest thrift store find to stroll through a gallery and pretend you can afford the pieces. I mean, unless you really can…but who doesn’t prefer whipping out that credit card while binge watching the Real Housewives.
Check out Artnet now!
5. Society6 – Best for Artist-Designed Apparel
Credit: Society6
Highlight: A curated collection of unique, wearable art pieces.
Helpful review: If home decor can be art, then so can clothing. Art is a statement, and so is what you wear! There’s a reason everyone who went to see the movie Barbie wore pink! But even if pink isn’t your color, you’re definitely going to be able to find something to wear at Society6. Although the online shop offers wall art and home decor, its apparel section is really where it’s at.
The art-inspired apparel (each made-to-order) does more than just cover your skin–it communicates. It's wearable art, a statement of individuality, a call to create. Pick from abstract patterns, pop culture references, or even fine art prints.
Society6 makes art accessible, available, and wearable. Unlike other traditional art platforms, it also gives artists a unique opportunity to reach a wide audience with their designs, transforming everyday apparel into canvases for expression. This approach not only supports artists by publicizing their work, but promotes creativity in everyday life and encourages the idea that art is personal expression.
Not only that, but Society6's model is simply brilliant and brilliantly simple. The site empowers artists from around the globe to share their work in a way that's wearable, turning everyday hoodies into canvases that showcase unique art. I don’t know about you, but as an artist, that’s some easy advertising. Plus, it’s just cool to show off a t-shirt knowing that you’re giving back to a creator instead of a corporation. But maybe that’s just the Barbie in me speaking.
Check out Society6 now!
6. Urban Outfitters – Best for Trendy Prints
Credit: Urban Outfitters
Highlight: Trend-setting prints for stylish home decor.
Helpful review: As a kid, the store Urban Outfitters was the kind of cool I dreamt to be, and not just because the store had a vibe. But because the art prints on the wall inspired my desire to create art before I even knew I wanted to be an artist. The prints they hung on the wall were understated but chill, exactly what you’d crave to make your home a statement.
Thankfully, as an adult, I don’t need to go to the mall anymore to shop there. Urban Outfitters online store carries that same mood that I loved about the store. And now they sell way more than just clothes. There’s furniture, home decor, and a whole lifestyle section.
The prints on their site are not only affordable, but in tune with contemporary aesthetics. Urban Outfitters offers a variety of styles, from indie and boho to minimalist and abstract. You can find pieces that resonate with current cultural movements, or make a more simplistic statement with a simple nod to meme culture.
Even as an adult, one thing is still clear: Urban Outfitters has mastered the art of curating prints that resonate with both the youthful, trend-conscious consumer and a 30-something boho-loving artist who secretly likes to stay up to date with the Gen-Z language. In other words, it’s truly expanded with time.
Their selection is always evolving, reflecting the latest in design and pop culture creating prints that are nostalgic, current, and a quirky combination of both. Their diverse range of styles speaks to individual taste and the “that’s hot” of the moment. Sorry, my Millinielness is showing!
Overall, it’s a blend of contemporary relevance that makes Urban Outfitters a go-to for infusing their space with modern artistic flair, which is part of what made the original store so awesome. It’s both personal and contemporary, and yet somehow timeless.
Check out Urban Outfitters now!
Megan MacGregor is a writer and reviewer whose work has been published by numerous outlets, including: 'Be My Travel Muse' and 'Extreme Nomads'. She's also the author of 13 novels.