Home design enthusiasts know the Internet is a treasure trove of inspirational images. Alas, all too often images are blogged and reblogged without proper attribution. This means you’re left in the dark about not only what you’re looking at, but also who’s responsible for it and where to buy.
Such was the case when I recently stumbled upon an abstract painting I loved on Pinterest — one I thought would look great in my apartment — and couldn’t find any information about it. Frustrated, I decided to try Google’s Search by Image function, in which you drop an image into the search bar (rather than search by text), and Google pulls up its best guess for title and artist, as well as links to websites with matching images.
Through the Search by Image function, I discovered the painting was available at Saatchi Art (saatchiart.com), an online art gallery-marketplace featuring more than 400,000 original paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography in a range of prices ($100-$30,000). Search by art, artist or collection or browse curated collections — you can even work with a personal art adviser (a free service) — to find the perfect piece. The original of my painting had sold, but I bought a large print after using Saatchi’s View in a Room tool to picture how different sizes would look on the wall. Featuring both emerging and established artists (who upload their work to the site), Saatchi Art offers myriad options for first-time art buyers.