French entrepreneur Clément Reisky has built an art distribution model that works in complete contradiction with traditional gallery practices. Instead of sticking to a single sales channel, he has orchestrated a complex omnichannel strategy combining his own e-commerce site, partnerships with authority marketplaces, European auctions, and dedicated B2B services.
His approach: use vintage and limited editions by major names to generate massive visibility, then redirect that audience toward the contemporary artists he actively represents. Side benefit: a commercial resilience that very few galleries have.
We asked him about how he built this hybrid model, the lessons he learned, and why fragmented channels are actually a strength.
The Interview
How did this omnichannel approach come about?
Clément Reisky: It started from a frustrating observation. When I was working in my gallery in Le Marais in Paris, I saw a real fragmentation of the market. The big marketplaces lacked serious curatorial selection. Traditional galleries were content with themselves and refused to go digital. And in between, there was a gap: architects, designers, collectors were looking for a reliable source of contemporary art with gallery-level expertise.
I also realized I had three assets that most people don’t: a communications agency where I had learned how to build brands, several years of experience as a gallerist, and a personal art collection that had given me credibility on the secondary market.
The idea was simple: what if I combined these three strengths to create something new?
Practically speaking, how do your four channels work?
CR: The owned website is the foundation – that’s where I fully control the experience, the curation, the storytelling. Every work comes with a rich description, the artist’s context, not just a photo and a price.
Then you have the partnerships with platforms like Artsper. It’s pragmatic: why build traffic alone when millions of people are already on these marketplaces? We set up an automated publishing system with real-time stock updates while optimizing product pages and images, and we adapt the content to their audience.
The third channel is European auctions. There, we reach a different segment – serious collectors, professionals who buy in volume. It’s a prestige market.
And finally B2B: architects, commercial interior designers. They’re not looking for one piece, they want 15 for a hotel project. Different volume, different service.
And you use big names to generate visibility?
CR: Exactly. It’s an intentional strategy. We offer vintage and limited editions by major photographers or artists like Slim Aarons, Henri Matisse, or Kaws. These names have huge SEO visibility and a very high number of monthly searches.
When someone types “Slim Aarons” or “historic photography,” our listings show up easily. That generates traffic.
But here’s the clever part: that visibility benefits our entire catalogue. Visitors who arrive for a Slim Aarons also discover our contemporary artists with a related style. They see the quality of our curation and our expertise. Many of them turn into collectors of emerging talent.
It’s a halo effect. Big names attract, but they don’t become our biggest sellers by volume. It’s the contemporary artists I’ve patiently curated who create the real value and profitability.
How do you manage inventory across all these channels?
CR: With a centralized system. When a piece sells on the owned site, it instantly disappears from Artsper and from auction listings. That’s crucial: no double-selling, no frustrated clients.
But what’s interesting is that it’s not a “unified” inventory in the strategic sense. Certain pieces are deliberately positioned as premium on our site, more competitively on Artsper, and as “exceptional and rare” at auction. Same product, three different pricing strategies.
Major pieces? They go on the owned site and at auction. More accessible works? Marketplace. B2B volumes? Dedicated channel.
It’s surgical. No wasted inventory.
What is the return on investment for each channel?
CR: The owned website has a 3–4% conversion rate, well above the standard average (0.5–1% for typical marketplaces). Why? Because visitors who arrive through our brand are already “qualified.”
Artsper gives us a powerful lever with high average baskets and strong volumes. It’s mainly the big names that perform there. Auctions mean a lot of transactions, with lots sometimes starting at just a hundred euros.
B2B is the most profitable: €8k to €15k per transaction easily, and those clients come back for other projects.
After three years with this structure: 40% of revenue from the owned site, 30% from auctions, 30% from marketplaces.
No channel accounts for more than 40%, which means we’re not hostage to anyone. If Artsper changes its algorithms tomorrow, we’re fine.
What has been the biggest challenge?
CR: Managing complexity. Four channels means four pricing strategies, four marketing strategies, four different workflows. You need a really solid infrastructure.
I had my communications background for content and brand, but technically we needed tools, systems, and operational discipline.
The second challenge: not getting lost in volume. Staying true to curation even as you grow. The temptation to “fill the shelves” just to hit numbers is huge. But that kills value.
How do you champion your contemporary artists within this model?
CR: That’s the key question. Big names create visibility, but the mission is contemporary talent.
We integrate them naturally into the buying journeys. A collector who discovers our site through Slim Aarons will encounter contemporary artists with a similar vein in the recommendations. Architects looking for B2B solutions will see our talents in curated presentations.
And honestly, contemporary artists often generate more margin than historical archives. Collectors get attached, return, and buy several pieces from the same artist.
It’s a virtuous model: big names pay for customer acquisition, contemporary artists pay for growth.
What do you wish you had known before launching?
CR: That technology and operations are just as important as strategy. Too often we have an excellent strategy but poor execution because of weak tools.
Also, that partnerships are more powerful than trying to build everything alone. At one point, I naïvely thought we should be independent from everyone. In reality, relying on established platforms while keeping my own brand accelerated things by at least three years.
And finally: omnichannel doesn’t mean “being everywhere,” it means being strategically somewhere.
What advice would you give to entrepreneurs in the art world?
CR: Two things.
First, explore your unfair advantages. For me it was communications + gallery experience + collection. Not everyone has that. But everyone has something: a special relationship with artists, deep knowledge of the B2B market, a talent for design…
Second, don’t fall into the false binary of “digital vs physical” or “retail vs online.” Those categories are dead. The future is the smart orchestration of everything that creates value.
If you can be on Artsper tomorrow, why deprive yourself of that traffic? If you can create a premium experience on your site, why not? If auctions can highlight certain pieces, why not?
Resilience comes from diversity. Profitability comes from strategy.
In Summary
Clément Reisky’s omnichannel model works because he doesn’t treat each channel as an end in itself, but as a piece of a larger puzzle. Big names attract through SEO and volume. Contemporary artists convert and create loyalty. Auctions highlight rare pieces. B2B generates large volumes. And the owned website? That’s the beating heart – where the brand truly lives.
Simple in theory. Complex to execute. But once in place, almost bulletproof.
