For the first time, a world-class art fair is planned online-only. From January 22 to 30, 2010, the VIP Art Fair will aggregate leading international contemporary art galleries on an Internet platform which offers the art fair's appeal of a limited-time event featuring fresh and exicting works of art.

Dealers, who ordinarily shoulder huge costs to exhibit at fairs, will save on shipping and travel expenses while collectors can enjoy the ease of armchair-buying from an array of top-tier galleries worldwide. Virtual booths are priced between $5,000 and $20,000, reports artinfo.

Access to the one-week VIP Art Fair is free. Collectors pay for one-on-one connections to the dealers. The VIP Ticket, which is $100 on January 22 and 23, and thereafter will cost $20, allows dealers and collectors the ability to communicate via instant messaging, Skype, and telephone to discuss works on offer in the virtual booth.

Exhibiting dealers can also make available back room inventory, sharing works in real time with clients in specially-created Private Rooms viewable on the client’s own computer screen.

“For anyone passionate about art, the Fair is a transformative experience: it delivers all the excitement of world-class art fairs with the convenience and personalization of the Internet,” said James Cohan, the gallerist who co-founded the VIP Art Fair in collaboration with Jane Cohan, and internet entrepreneur Jonas Almgren and his wife Alessandra.

Among the powerhouse international galleries already signed on are New York's David Zwirner, London's White Cube, Gagosian Gallery, and Hauser & Wirth.

Visitors to the VIP Art Fair will be able to zoom in to examine details of a painting’s surface, get multiple views of a three-dimensional work, and watch videos of a multimedia piece. Galleries will provide comprehensive details on artworks and artists, including biographies, catalogue essays, artist films and interviews, and in-depth information.

Tours, which can be customized with the visitor's preferences---such as artist's name, medium or price range---will help make the virtual experience more personal and efficient.

A virtual VIP Lounge is where visitors can watch specially commissioned films of leading private art collections and artists’ studios, check out Fair tours created by other visitors, access status updates on art market news, and learn about new works on view in the Fair.

The Fair will open on Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. EST and conclude on Sunday, January 30, 2011, at 7:59 a.m. EST. Pre-registration is recommended.