Sebastian – One Year Later

22.02.2023
Cécile Fuchs

Sebastian Nellen is the project manager and IT responsible for art24. The architect of this entity, which has grown incredibly since 22.2.22. Looking back on the first year is always an exciting experience. Many things were dropped, and instead they were replaced by things that became more important.  

Retrospectively, Cécile welcomes Sebastian exactly one year after the last interview (link) with a few questions: 

C: Hey Sebastian the baby has turned one year old! It has been a crazy year! 
What impressed me the most is that so many artists had faith in us from the beginning and are still with us! 
Tell us about your highlights this year. 

S: What comforts me the most, of course, is that the business is stable and the platform is growing steadily. With a start-up, you never know. But the baby is alive and thriving!  

My huge highlight was the go-live event on the 22.2.22. Exactly at 22:22 we pressed the red button and the platform has been running ever since! A goosebump moment! A little later, we started with the concept and the planning plus the implementation of the auction platform, which is a parallel platform that we can now use sustainably for special charitable auctions. The first one was the Ram Auction (see blog). That was a challenging project in addition to the further development of the platform, but it was also incredibly fun. 

C: We dream of many new functions that will improve the representation of the art and artists and take it to the next level. Many have already been implemented, some have been postponed. 
Tell us a little bit about how you decide which functions come when and how. 

S: As it is so often the case, it's about the most efficient use of resources - unfortunately. Out of 1,000 ideas, we have to prioritise those that add the greatest value and are the most useful, while always making sure that bugs, if any, are fixed before they are discovered. 

In addition, the various interest groups must always be included. This is not always easy and sometimes leads to heated discussions. 

C: As a project manager, tell us, what will we face in the year 2023? What can we expect? 

S: After improving the customer experience during registration, various improvements in the area of the user account and optimisations to the art24 homepage will follow over the next few months. Furthermore, the focus will be extended to collectors who wish to sell their works and also galleries will be included. 

C: You come from IT. You know what 1 and 0 are. They also exist in art😊 Have you discovered a highlight for yourself? Or even learned something new? 

S: Art is complex - and lies in the eye of the beholder 😉  

Platitudes aside, I have certainly got to know one or two art techniques and some styles such as the different graphic techniques! It's interesting how diverse the craft of art is when you delve deeper into it. Just like the craft of IT. Because there is much more to it than 0 and 1 😉 

C: And lastly: What do you wish us and the platform for the future? 

S: Happy users whilst continuing to grow!