Art-Ex.com Inc. Signs Partnership With E-Color Inc.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2000

Partnership to Provide True Internet Color(R) and Colorific(R) Color

Management Software for the First Vertical E-Commerce Portal Serving

the World Wide Art Market

Leading Art Portal, Art-Ex.com Inc. announced today an agreement with E-Color Inc. that will enable Art-Ex.com to adopt True Internet Color(R) for posting, viewing, and purchasing art on the Internet. The agreement also allows Art-Ex.com to provide business members with E-Color's Colorific(R) Software for preparing images for the Internet.

Currently under development, the Art-Ex.com system will be the first art portal to provide both buyers and sellers of art with a cost-effective method of ensuring the viewing quality of artwork for sale over the Internet. The Art-Ex.com system will be previewed at the ArtExpo New York in March, the art industries largest trade and consumer event, with plans for a full consumer launch in the second quarter of 2000.

"We are truly excited about the partnership with E-Color and the value their products will provide our members," said Richard Graveley, president & chief executive officer of Art-Ex.com. "Artists are sensitive to color management and want to ensure their work is properly represented. The artists using our system will be able to take advantage of the highest quality standards available on the Internet today. By implementing E-Color's technology on our site, we are able to provide the finest color correction solutions available to the artist, gallery, fine art publisher and collector."

Recent research indicates a trend toward consumer expectations and concerns about color on the Web. InfoTrends Research Group reports that 81 percent of online shoppers surveyed would prefer to shop at an Internet site that could guarantee accurate color representation. Additionally, Cyber Dialogue research data indicates that 60 percent of Web shoppers do not trust the color they see on their monitor. True Internet Color, revolutionary server-based software from E-Color, Inc., eliminates this problem and enhances consumer confidence when shopping online. With True Internet Color, consumers can properly view artwork on Art-Ex.com the way the artists intended.

According to Graveley, "the partnership will provide Art-Ex members with the ability to deploy True Internet Color and eliminate any cost restrictions to most artists, galleries and fine art publishers. Graveley stated, "As a vertical portal providing e-business services to the art market, Art-Ex.com is in an ideal position to provide these much needed services to this specific market. For example, a collector would not be satisfied purchasing a painting that looks red on the monitor and is actually pink when it arrives."

E-Color and Art-Ex will participate in joint marketing and advertising ventures to promote their products and services.

About Art-Ex.com (http://www.art-ex.com)

Art-Ex.com Inc. is focused on market leadership of the mid-range art market. Art-Ex.com is currently developing an expansive online exchange for the art marketplace, providing a business-to-business, business-to-consumer, and consumer-to-consumer e-commerce portal for buying and selling art in an exchange environment. The Art-Ex.com exchange system is a collaborative effort utilizing several e-commerce solutions with extensive integration to provide both the buyer and seller a seamless and secure transaction and fulfillment capability. For further information about Art-Ex.com, please visit the Web site at http://www.art-ex.com or call 212/430-6810.

About E-Color Inc. (http://www.ecolor.com)

E-Color is the industry leader in electronic color matching technology in multiple applications, including e-retailing, computer displays, printer and graphic cards. Creating the standard for maintaining color fidelity on the Web, True Internet Color allows consumers to enjoy an accurate e-shopping experience, helping to avoid unnecessary returns due to incorrect color representation on screen. E-retailers such as Bloomingdales.com, Lucy.com and JCrew.com have already adopted True Internet Color. Leading monitor and system manufacturers including ADI, Acer Peripherals, Compaq, Hitachi, IBM, Philips Consumer Electronics and Samsung have licensed Colorific for their monitors. Graphics card vendors such as Creative Labs, 3D Labs, Appian Graphics and VideoLogic also bundle Colorific with their products. For more information visit, www.ecolor.com.