verified artists
local pickup
secured reservations
Original works from Hungarian and Romanian artists — no gallery in the middle, no inflated markups.
Browse online, meet the artist, own something real.
Real Art,
Directly
Founder
Gallerist, daughter of a painter, and long-time believer that original art belongs in people's homes.
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.
Julianna Cristescu
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
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.
01./ Browse & Reserve
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.
03./ Own it with confidence
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.
02./ Meet the artist in your city
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.
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.
92%
Artist fee
8%
Contai fee
0%
Gallery fees
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.
✓ Meet the person who loves your work
✓ You keep 92% — always
✓ Verified artist badge
✓ Curated, not crowded
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.
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.
Your price. Your terms.
You've read the story. Join the waitlist to be among the first — as a buyer or an artist.
Every artist verified. Every artwork checked. Every sale protected — from the very first day.
BEHIND THE MARKET
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.