Wydr App Brings Tinder-Style Swiping to Art Buying

Swiss entrepreneurs Matthias Dörner and Timo Hahn have launched Wydr, a mobile application that applies Tinder's swiping mechanism to art sales. Users swipe right to like an artwork or left to reject it, can save favorites to personal galleries, and purchase directly via a cart icon—bypassing galleries, curators, and intermediaries. Launched in January 2016, the platform claims a five-figure user base and an average spend of $430. The founders emphasize Wydr is for occasional art lovers, not collectors, stating 'Galleries are for the 1%, Wydr for the 99%.' No quality filter exists; anyone can list works, resulting in variable quality. The app features paintings and drawings in various styles, from figurative to abstract. Wydr aims to democratize the art market by enabling easy opinion expression and direct purchasing.