Leonardo DiCaprio invests in Magnus, the 'Shazam of art'

Leonardo DiCaprio has invested in Magnus, an app that identifies artworks via photo recognition. Launched in 2016 by German former gallerist Magnus Resch, Magnus aims to increase transparency in the art market by providing artist names, titles, dates, exhibition histories, and prices from a database of 10 million works. The app faced controversy early on: Artsy and Artfact accused it of stealing data, and three German galleries claimed they were tricked into providing sensitive information. Magnus was temporarily removed from the Apple Store but later reinstated after Resch was cleared. Now available for free on Android and iOS, Magnus joins competitors like Smartify (founded 2017 by Thanos Kokkiniotis) and Google Arts & Culture's Art Recognizer. Smartify currently recognizes works only at the Louvre, the Met, the Rijksmuseum, and the Wallace Collection. DiCaprio, a known contemporary art enthusiast who frequents Christie's, Sotheby's, Frieze, and Art Basel, has now added tech investor to his profile.