Real Art, Directly
Real Art,
Directly
Original works from Hungarian and Romanian artists — no gallery in the middle, no inflated markups.
Browse online, meet the artist, own something real.
secured reservations
local pickup
verified artists
WHAT IS CONTAI
A market built by a gallerist who couldn't find the art she wanted to live with.
A CURATED PATH
2023 ─ Contai Gallery opens in Bucharest & Budapest
2024 ─ Contai Gallery at MOBU Art Fair
2025 ─ Second year at MOBU · Inspirációk a Térben POP UP
2026 ─ Contai the marketplace launches
Julianna Cristescu
Contai is where you buy original work by living Hungarian and Romanian artists — directly from the person who made it.
Every artist is personally vetted.
Every artwork is verified.
Every sale ends in person.
Gallerist, daughter of a painter, and long-time believer that original art belongs in people's homes.
Founder
HOW IT WORKS
Discover original works by artists we've personally verified. Pay a small reservation fee to hold the piece — the artist is notified, and the artwork is taken off the market for you. The fee is refunded in full if the sale doesn't happen through no fault of yours.
02./ Meet the artist in your city
Contai connects buyers and artists locally. Budapest buyers meet Budapest artists; Bucharest buyers meet Bucharest artists. Once your reservation is confirmed, you receive the artist's exact pickup address in your own city.
03./ Own it with confidence
At the handover, you pay the remaining balance directly to the artist and confirm the sale with a code from your Contai app. The code releases the reservation and completes the sale — protecting both you and the artist. If anything is wrong with the artwork or the meeting, the Contai Guarantee refunds your fee in full.
01./ Browse & Reserve
Contai works differently from a traditional gallery — no markup, no commission stacking, no middleman between you and the artist.
But it's not a random peer-to-peer transaction either.
Every step is verified, and every sale is protected.
The Contai Guarantee
Artists keep 92% of every sale.
Traditional galleries take 40–60%.
We charge 8% — and in return we handle secure payments, buyer trust, and verified listings.
That's the whole deal.
Gallery fees
0%
Contai fee
8%
Artist fee
92%
For comparison: A €500 painting sold through a traditional gallery typically earns the artist €200–300. On Contai, that same sale puts €460 in the artist's pocket.
For Artists
Your work.
Your price. Your terms.
List your work in minutes. You set the price, you meet the buyer, you stay in control. Contai handles the trust layer so you can focus on making art.
We limit the number of artists on the platform. Your work
sits in a curated context, not an endless scroll — so buyers actually see it, and each piece gets meaningful visibility.
We verify every artist on the platform — so buyers know
they're buying from the real source.
No upfront costs. No monthly fees. No hidden charges. Contai takes 8% only when a piece sells, in exchange for secure payments, buyer verification, and the platform's promotion.
Every sale ends with an in-person handover in your city. You meet the collector, sign the piece if they'd like, and build a real relationship — the way art collecting used to work.
✓ Curated, not crowded
✓ Verified artist badge
✓ You keep 92% — always
✓ Meet the person who loves your work
Every artist verified. Every artwork checked. Every sale protected — from the very first day.
You've read the story. Join the waitlist to be among the first — as a buyer or an artist.
Launching September 1, 2026
THE GALLERY BEHIND THE MARKET
Where it began.
Where it began.
Contai Gallery — Str. Sava Hentia nr. 2, Bucharest — is where the idea for the Contai marketplace was born. It's the physical space where founder Julia Cristescu began working with contemporary Romanian artists in 2023, hosting exhibitions, curatorial talks, and public viewings.
The gallery still runs today, but Contai the marketplace is something different: a way to open that same curatorial eye to buyers and artists across two countries, without the walls and without the commission.
Visits to the Bucharest gallery are by appointment.
