Katarzyna Petru
Samsung is evolving its concept of a television that transforms into a digital frame when turned off — and it's doing so consistently. The Frame, which is the most popular of these models, has just gained additional sets of digitised artworks, and the collection available in the Art Store has surpassed 4000 works from over 800 artists.
Television that pretends to be art — and is doing it better
The Frame is still a fully-fledged television, but its main advantage is the Art Mode and the matte screen coating that mimics the texture of paper or canvas. Competitors are already following this path — TCL Nxtvision or Hisense Canvas TV — however, matte displays have their downsides: poorer contrast, black levels, and colour saturation in films.
Collaborations with top institutions
Samsung has been developing the Art Store for years, which is a library of digital works available on a subscription basis (5 AUD/5 EUR monthly). The company collaborates with the biggest museums and cultural institutions — from the Louvre to MoMA — and this year, the Art Store has also become available on regular Samsung models, although in a limited version and without the full functionality of The Frame.
New collections: Liberty, Tate and Art Basel
Liberty — August additions - In summer, 20 new projects were added by the British brand Liberty — from the fairy tale motifs Enchanted Wood to the colourful Jungle Trip. Among the new additions were Artemis, Marina’s Tea Garden, Fantasy Land and My Grown Up Star.
Tate Collection — classics and icons - In October, the Art Store featured 15 works from Tate, including:
Whaam! — Roy Lichtenstein
The Snail — Henri Matisse
Yellow Islands — Jackson Pollock
Echo Lake and Ski Jacket — Peter Doig
Art Basel Miami Beach 2025 — contemporary in digital format - This week, works by as many as 24 contemporary creators related to this year's edition of Art Basel are joining. Among them:
Energía de la visión de Ayahuasca (2022) — Olinda Silvano
Victoria Park (2025) — The Pérez Bros
Apenas Cinco Semanas Da Kissama… (2019) — George Nelson Preston
40 Hearts (2018) — Jennifer Rubell
Luna Ilena (2024) — Aycoobo
4 thousand works and growing
Samsung boasts that the Art Store offering has expanded to over 4000 items. Among the partners are the world's most important museums: Louvre, Art Institute of Chicago, MoMA, Thyssen-Bornemisza, and many more. The Frame thus remains not only a television but also one of the most interesting ways to bring art into the home — without the need to collect physical works.
