How Instagram became the modern artist’s most important tool: galleries and Art Basel use the platform to scout talent, while Banksy, Beeple and Takashi Murakami became digital celebrities

Mar 20 , 2023

It’s no question that Instagram has given rise to some of today’s biggest stars from different industries – so how do visual artists leverage the mega platform? Photo: Noram tam

Big-name artists like Banksy, Takashi Murakami and Beeple have leveraged the photo-centric social media platform as a de facto online portfolio that reaches millions of followers

Instagram is also a game-changer for rising stars like Donna Adi and Anna Weyant – who was discovered by Gagosian Gallery – while Art Basel 2023 showcases ever-popular David Shrigley

There’s zero doubt that Instagram has become a game-changer for artists looking to gain exposure and connect with wider audiences. Though artists do utilise other social media platforms, none are more important than “IG”, whose visual nature is perfect for both creators and art lovers.

It may even be nearing the point where, from a business perspective, artists who don’t utilise Instagram are putting themselves at a disadvantage. Instagram accounts have become the de facto online portfolio that showcases not only an artist’s talent and creativity, but also their popularity and ability to build a following.

Anna Weyant at her Upper West Side, NYC flat. Photo: Blum & Poe

Museums and galleries nowadays use Instagram to scout for new talent. One of the most notable examples is Canadian painter Anna Weyant who, after posting paintings on her Instagram for some time and amassing a decent following, was discovered and approached by the Gagosian Gallery last year.

The gallery’s owner – and Weyant’s current boyfriend – Larry Gagosian was so impressed with her work that she was offered a solo exhibition, making history as the youngest artist on the prestigious gallery’s rooster, then aged 27. This boosted the “millennial Botticelli”’s following overnight, and within the space of two years, an artist who was selling paintings for US$400 at beaches had pieces going for as much as US$1.6 million at auction.

There are artists from all over the world who have become “Insta-famous” and are getting most of their revenue through the platform. There are famous examples like the British street artist Banksy, who has now amassed 12 million followers and uses his feed to showcase work and spread political messages. Takashi Murakami, a Japanese artist known for creating vibrant prints of everything from celebrities to psychedelic abstract subjects, has more than 2.5 million followers, a figure to rival pop and movie stars.

A new graffiti in Banksy’s signature style, although not posted by the mercurial artist on social media, is seen on the wall of a destroyed building in the Ukrainian town of Hostomel, which had been occupied by Russia until April and heavily damaged by fighting in the early days of Russian invasion, in November 2022. Photo: Reuters

Arguably the most profound impact Instagram has had on the art world, however, is related to digital art, a relatively new medium that is growing with the recent explosion of NFTs and text-to-image AI art programmes. The most prominent example is American artist Mike Winkelmann, known professionally as Beeple, who has around 2.4 million Instagram followers, and famously sold an NFT artwork for US$69 million at auction in 2019.

Instagram has become such an integral tool for artists because it allows them to amass followings in so many ways. Many artists build followings by posting regularly, sharing stories, using reels and hashtags and interacting with fans. They can also network with other artists and have more successful artist or gallery pages share their work. Others can master the algorithm, get somewhat lucky and “go viral” with one explosive post. The possibilities are endless.

Many artists attribute a large portion of their success to Instagram, including digital illustration artist Donna Adi, who has over 170,000 followers after years of steady growth.