The Swiss Qoqa platform has launched a new project that allows people to buy, display, and watch artistic works. The owners of the sold painting, who call themselves "Picassonians", can watch it anytime via webcam. They can also share messages to be shown at the Zentrum Paul Klee Museum, where the Picasso painting is displayed.
A Swiss crowdfunding project had offered 25,000 people the chance to own a share in Pablo Picasso's "Bust Musketeer" painting.
Each of them paid 50 Swiss francs ($50) to collectively buy the tableau drawn in 1968, via the Qoqa e-commerce platform. The shares had been sold within 48 hours in 2017.
According to the German News Agency, every owner who visits the museum can use a 3D scan on a big screen to play with the painting. The touchscreen allows the visitors to change the painting's direction, fold it, and zoom it in to enjoy the brush-painted details.
Co-founder of Qoqa platform Fabio Monte said: "A part of the art world is still conservative. However, other domains are witnessing a remarkable activity."
The Zentrum Paul Klee Museum is displaying Picasso's painting as part of its efforts to provide art for a wider audience.
The museum has also sought to benefit from Qoqa's experience in the digital industry, said Qoqa's director Thomas Soraperra.
"How does a large digital community work? We are communicating through social media networks but we need further improvement in this field," he explained.
The museum has also launched social media projects in Bern, including digital portals that allow small projects and museums to share art equipment.
For her part, Karen van den Berg, professor of art theory, said "Art has always created other possible facts. And this is how art has always been companion of democratic citizenship".
