Irish start-up Artfetch, a curated e-commerce platform for emerging artists, has expanded its base into Asia and the US. The global business selects up-and-coming artists from around the world and connects them with existing collectors and emerging buyers worldwide.

With a team of internationally-based curators, Artfetch now represents artists from 18 countries including India, China, South Korea and the US.

Artfetch co-founder and CEO Katie Tsouros said the site launched at the end of last year initially in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

“The US is the largest art market in the world so that was an obvious progression, and Asia is a fast growing emerging market that we intended targeting from early on, especially China which has received a lot of attention in recent years and is a market that has been widely reported on. We’re now seeing it develop quite significantly into an outward-facing market, whereas previously it was relatively closed.”

She said the site has approximately 1,000 works of art available for purchase, with prices ranging from €75 to €4,000.

“We also provide a curatorial service to help buyers choose works for a certain space. We make recommendations based on what they like and have previously bought.”

The start-up is now looking at expanding into emerging markets like Latin America and the Middle East.

Tsouros founded KTcontemporary in 2010, a gallery based in Dublin for exhibiting work by young, emerging artists. She co-founded Artfetch in 2012 with her mother Patricia.

Artfetch profiles artists and their work, taking a 40 per cent commission on pieces sold. Exhibitions are also a feature of the site, showcasing the work of various artists around the world.