[2] It is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly-traded company based in Berlin that is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

[4] The company was founded as Centrox Corporation in 1989 by Pierre Sernet,[5][6] a French art collector who developed database software which allowed images of artworks to be associated with market prices.

[7] Hans Neuendorf, a German art dealer, began to invest in the company in the 1990s;[7] he became chairman in 1992 and chief executive officer in 1995.

It included a French-language magazine which offers a critical overview of the art market in France.

With over 35,000 artists and 2,200 international galleries worldwide,[17] it is the largest network of its kind, and generates inquiries from both collectors and first-time buyers.