What OPEN GALLERY does

OPEN GALLERY (오픈갤러리; legal entity 주식회사 오픈갤러리) is a Seoul-headquartered, privately held Korean company that operates the world's first art subscription and rental service, founded on November 4, 2013 by CEO Park Gyu (박의규). The company curates a catalog of 73,211 original artworks by 1,898 vetted Korean artists and rents them to consumers and businesses on a 3-month rotation subscription, with monthly fees tiered by artwork size from 39,000 KRW to 250,000 KRW. Customers can purchase rented artworks with up to 100% of rental fees credited toward purchase, and resale is supported via the ART-TECH service which estimates returns using a dataset of 150,000+ transactions.

The platform combines an AI-powered artwork recommendation engine with human curator consultations delivered through its website (opengallery.co.kr) and a KakaoTalk chatbot, while a company-employed professional installation team handles nationwide delivery, space-specific mounting, and collection across South Korea. Beyond consumer rental, the company operates a dedicated corporate/B2B channel (법인상담) serving hotels, cafes, offices, and other commercial spaces with VAT-invoiced rentals, plus brand collaboration and copyright licensing for marketing campaigns and media (e.g., partnerships with Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Department Store, Amorepacific, CJ O Shopping, KBS, and Netflix). A separate art goods e-commerce sub-brand (opengallery.shop) sells merchandise such as phone cases, smart talk covers, and card wallets featuring artist designs, and an online authenticity certificate verification system validates provenance of purchased works.

The business generates revenue primarily through recurring monthly rental subscriptions tiered by artwork ho (호) size, with secondary streams from direct artwork sales, ART-TECH resale transaction fees, corporate contracts, brand collaboration/licensing royalties, and art goods e-commerce. Marketing and acquisition rely on direct website traffic, KakaoTalk conversational sales, recurring time-limited promotional campaigns (e.g., the 49,000 KRW 3-month trial), TV home shopping (CJ O Shopping), and earned media. As of the latest reported figures the company claims the #1 position in Korea's art rental market and in the Korean Customer Satisfaction Index (KCSI) for the picture rental category, with 226,426 cumulative customers served and a 98.7% satisfaction rate.

Name

OPEN GALLERY

Legal name

주식회사 오픈갤러리

Website

https://opengallery.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OPEN GALLERY operates South Korea's first and largest art subscription service, renting original works by 1,898 Korean artists to individual consumers and corporate clients on 3-month rotations, supported by AI curation, professional installation, and resale licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Rental Subscription

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920), Art Dealers (45992)

SIC

Retail-Furniture Stores (5712), Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores (5700)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Lease-to-Own & Subscription Home Furnishings (Online-First) (CRAIAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Corporate, Event & Staging Furniture Rental (Short-Term) (CRAIAOAG), Fine Art Handling & Transport (HSAKAEAB)

Keywords

• Art rental subscription
• Artwork curation services
• Original art rental
• Corporate art leasing
• Art goods merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Art Rental Subscription: Monthly subscription fees for renting original artworks, priced by artwork size (ho number). Basic subscription is 3 months per artwork. Customers can upgrade to purchase the rented artwork at any time, with rental fees partially or fully credited toward the purchase price.
2. Direct Art Sales: Direct purchase of original artworks from the platform. Purchased artworks come with an authenticity certificate. Customers can also buy artworks after testing them through the rental service.
3. ArtTech Resale: Platform-assisted resale of previously purchased artworks, with the company providing estimated return rates based on accumulated transaction data.
4. Art Goods (아트굿즈): Sale of art-derived merchandise including phone cases, smart talk covers, and card wallets featuring designs from the platform's artists.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OPEN GALLERY operates the world's first art subscription/rental service, allowing individual and corporate customers to rent original artworks by Korean artists via monthly subscriptions starting at 39,000 KRW. The service includes quarterly artwork exchanges, professional in-home installation by company-employed art handlers, and AI-powered curation recommendations from a catalog of 73,000+ pieces. Customers can also purchase rented artworks with rental fees credited toward the purchase price, and resell purchased works through an ArtTech resale service.

Product overview

Open Gallery operates a multi-faceted art platform centered around its 그림렌탈 (artwork rental subscription) service, the world's first art subscription service launched in November 2013. The core offering allows customers to rent original Korean artworks for monthly fees starting at 39,000 KRW, with quarterly exchanges and professional installation included. Supporting the rental core are complementary services: 큐레이터 추천 (AI + human curator artwork recommendations), the 아트굿즈 e-commerce shop for artwork-licensed merchandise, and ART-TECH for resale of purchased artworks. B2B offerings include art collaboration for marketing, corporate exhibitions, and art education programs. The company serves both individual consumers (226,426+ subscribers) and enterprise clients across Korea.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 아트굿즈 (opengallery.shop): 작가의 작품을 활용한 폰케이스, 스마트톡, 카드지갑 등 아트 굿즈 제품 판매 플랫폼

Products and services

• 그림렌탈 (Artwork Rental Subscription) Primary subscription service enabling individual consumers to rent original artworks by Korean artists at monthly prices starting from 39,000 KRW, with quarterly artwork exchanges and professional delivery and installation included.
• ART-TECH (아트테크) Resale service that allows customers who have purchased artworks through OPEN GALLERY to resell them, with the platform calculating estimated resale profit rates based on accumulated transaction data of over 150,000 transactions.
• 아트굿즈 (Art Goods) E-commerce platform at opengallery.shop selling art-derived merchandise including phone cases, smart talk covers, and card wallets featuring designs from the platform's artists.
• 큐레이터 추천 서비스 (Curator Recommendation Service) Professional in-house curators provide one-on-one artwork consultation via KakaoTalk, combined with AI-powered preference analysis to recommend suitable artworks tailored to each customer's space and taste.
• 법인 상담 서비스 (Corporate/B2B Service) Artwork rental and consultation services tailored for businesses including hotels, hospitals, cafes, and corporate offices, with tax invoice issuance available.
• 아트 콜라보레이션 (Art Collaboration) B2B partnership services offering artist-matched artwork solutions for marketing campaigns, brand collaborations, copyright licensing for film/TV/advertising, corporate exhibition planning, and VIP art education programs.
• 진품보증서 조회 (Authenticity Certificate Verification) Online verification system allowing buyers to validate artwork authenticity certificates using artwork codes and serial numbers, with enhanced certificate tracking introduced from August 2022.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98.7% customer satisfaction rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Samsung Electronics (Chef Collection)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerArt collaboration with Samsung Electronics' Chef Collection product line, providing suitable artworks and artist pairings to complement the brand's kitchen appliance marketing and promotional materials.
• CJ ENM / CJ O ShoppingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured on CJ O Shopping home shopping channel to introduce the art rental subscription service to a mass TV audience, driving customer awareness and new subscriptions.
• KBS (Korean Broadcasting System)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerArtwork licensed for use in KBS2 weekend drama 'Golden Life' (황금빛 내的人生), demonstrating the company's copyright licensing capabilities for visual media.
• Hwansung Corporation (한성기업)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate art collaboration providing artwork installations for the company's facilities and customer spaces.
• Wachowski / Netflix (Sense 8)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCopyright licensing of artworks for use in the Netflix series 'Sense 8', demonstrating international media collaboration capabilities.
• Hanssem (한샘)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerArtwork licensed for use in Hanssem's 2017 S/S interior photography campaigns.
• Hyundai Department Store (현대백화점)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerVIP customer art lecture program partnership, providing art education experiences for Hyundai's premium customer base (Jasmine customers).
• Amorepacific (아모레퍼시픽)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerVIP customer art lecture program providing art education experiences for Amorepacific's premium customer base.
• Samsung Card (삼성카드)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerArt lecture partnership for VIP PB center customers, providing art appreciation and education programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Artnet: Artnet operates a global art marketplace and price-database covering galleries, auctions, and artists. Comparable as a discovery and price-transparency platform adjacent to OPEN GALLERY's ART-TECH resale service, but does not offer physical rental.
• 1stDibs: 1stDibs is a luxury online marketplace for art, furniture, and decor from vetted dealers. Comparable to OPEN GALLERY on connecting consumers with vetted, original works and supporting corporate interior buyers, though it is purchase-only and luxury-focused.
• Artsy: Artsy is a global online art marketplace aggregating galleries and auction houses, with editorial and artist-discovery features. Overlaps with OPEN GALLERY on art discovery, curation, and connecting consumers with original works, but does not run a subscription rental product.
• Saatchi Art: Saatchi Art is a large online art gallery selling original works directly from emerging artists worldwide. Overlaps with OPEN GALLERY on the curation and sale of emerging-artist originals, though it is purchase-only without subscription rental.
• West Elm: West Elm is a US home-furnishings retailer that has piloted art-rental and artist-collaboration programs. Comparable as a home-furnishings retailer extending into art subscriptions for residential interiors, overlapping OPEN GALLERY's home-decor customer use case.

Regional players

• Gallery Hyundai: Gallery Hyundai is one of Korea's leading contemporary art galleries representing major Korean artists. Comparable as a Korean art gallery and sales channel, though it is a traditional gallery model rather than a subscription rental platform.
• Kukje Gallery: Kukje Gallery is a major Korean contemporary art gallery representing established Korean and international artists. Comparable as a Korean art institution adjacent to OPEN GALLERY's emerging-artist focus and Korean arts community ties.

Direct peers

• Rise Art: Rise Art is a UK-based online art rental and purchase platform that lets customers rent original artworks by subscription and then buy. Directly comparable to OPEN GALLERY's core rental-plus-purchase model with credit toward purchase.
• TurningArt: TurningArt is a US art rental subscription service focused on rotating artwork for offices and businesses. Directly comparable to OPEN GALLERY's B2B corporate art-rental channel serving hotels, cafes, and corporate offices.

Emerging players

• Artfully Walls: Artfully Walls is an online art marketplace with a try-before-you-buy program and emerging-artist focus. Comparable to OPEN GALLERY on enabling consumers to live with art before purchasing, though it does not offer full subscription rotation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/opengallery.co.kr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opengallery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OPEN GALLERY