With PickArt, Montreal gallery L’Original introduces people to living artists from their area, starting with the artwork.
MONTREAL, November, 2026. One thousand living artists (including The Silo’s very owner founder and artist Jarrod Barker) have signed up for PickArt, the art discovery tool from Montreal gallery L’Original. It works much like a dating app: users swipe through sixteen artworks, keep the ones they like and pass on the rest. An AI learns their taste as they go, then shows them a personal selection and the local artists whose work fits them best.
Users only see the artist’s name at the end. In a gallery, visitors often see the signature and the price before they know whether they like the piece. PickArt gives them time to react to the image first.
“Lots of people love art but never walk into a gallery, because they don’t know where to start. You don’t need to know a single name to know what you like. We show you artworks, then we introduce you to the artist, who sometimes lives ten minutes from your place. To me, that’s what AI should be doing for culture.” Dorian Verdier, founder of L’Original
Discover an artist In two minutes, PickArt builds a taste profile. Users get a selection, meet the artists and see the work available.
Commission a custom piece
Users can book a meeting with the artist for a one-off work in the colours, size and subject they want. It suitsdemanding buyers, and people looking for a gift for a wedding, a birth or a retirement.
A mural for the company Companies use it to pick a muralist together with their teams, who vote on the artworks. The mural becomes a shared project, and one more reason to come back to the office.
BY THE NUMBERS
1,000 living artists signed up 16 artworks to swipe for a taste profile
2 min to complete
2 physical galleries in Montreal
THE GALLERY BEHIND THE APP
PickArt is built by L’Original, a Canadian gallery that automates sales for its artists. Every member artist has a page on the gallery’s website, and their work is republished on several online marketplaces, including Artsy, Etsy and eBay. The gallery handles visibility and sales, which leaves artists more time to make art. BUILT ON RESEARCH The project went through the HEC Montréal incubator and Tech3Lab, HEC Montréal’s user experience research lab. Volunteer scientists work on it to understand how technology can make culture easier to reach. AVAILABILITY PickArt is free, with no sign-up needed to start. Try PickArt See favourite artists loriginal.org/en/pickart- 3 0
ABOUT L’ORIGINAL Founded in Montreal by Dorian Verdier, L’Original is a gallery and studio representing living local artists. It has two locations in Montreal and also sells on the major online art marketplaces. Artists who want to join can sign up at loriginal.org.
