Magnus App: The 'Shazam for Art' Challenges Artsy and Artprice
Magnus Resch, the 31-year-old German entrepreneur behind Larry's List, has launched Magnus, a free mobile app that identifies artworks and provides detailed information including dimensions, artist name, technique, and price from galleries or recent auctions. Currently active only in New York, the app will soon expand to London and Berlin, positioning itself as a serious competitor to platforms like Artprice and Artsy. After three years of development, Magnus boasts a database of eight million works (excluding videos), built through crowdsourcing: users upload images which are verified and added. The app functions only for works already in the database, but users are encouraged to contribute. The project emphasizes transparency, stating on its homepage that prices are sourced from active users and galleries worldwide, with a future premium version allowing partners to update their own prices.
Key facts
- Magnus is a free mobile app that recognizes artworks via smartphone camera.
- Created by Magnus Resch, 31, also founder of Larry's List.
- Currently available only in New York; coming to London and Berlin.
- Database contains eight million artworks, excluding videos.
- Information includes dimensions, artist, technique, and price.
- Prices sourced via crowdsourcing from users and galleries.
- App competes with Artprice and Artsy.
- Development took three years; database is open-source and user-updated.
Entities
Artists
- Magnus Resch
Institutions
- Larry's List
- Artprice
- Artsy
Locations
- New York
- London
- Berlin