Welcome to the era of the digital art frame. A far cry from the unimpressive but convenient photo frames that have gained popularity of the past few years, digital art frames are specifically designed to showcase fine art.

After much research I purchased a KLIO, a product from Art.com (see klioart.com). The frame is quite impressive, featuring a 41 inch screen (diagonal) and stunning 4K display for a reasonable $999.

Why Digital Art?

I know what you’re thinking – why would I ever purchase a device to display digital art when a TV or print would work just as well? I too was skeptical until I started researching it more, and now that I have the device in my home I’ve decided that it’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.

Yes, the digital representation of paintings is impressive. I mean, you can literally see the brush strokes. The 4K resolution also means that you can get up close and personal, details emerging as you step nearer to appreciate the works of art.

But what makes this even better is that the digital frame opens up new possibilities for artwork by embracing what makes this medium so special. That’s because the KLIO also features animated forms of art – paintings that suddenly and surprisingly come to life.

See for yourself with this snippet of a Van Gogh that surprises you with the subtle introduction of new characters to the scene. Other art forms include works that evolve over the course of a day, or year. You can even display an image of the Big Ben that shows the real time.

Setup

Setup was a breeze! After connecting to wi-fi, the KLIO automatically took me through a few steps to upgrade the software and connect my account to the KLIO service. Access to the KLIO service with 300+ works of art is included for free for the first year. KLIO expects the service to cost $10/month after that. Rest assured, you can also upload your own images in .JPG or .PNG format anytime.

And….done!

Within a few minutes, I was happily exploring the wide range of content that is automatically available to all KLIO owners.

I chose to hang my KLIO over my new Besta console (purchased at Ikea) using the mounts that were included with the device. As an extra precaution, I also used drywall anchors (purchased separately).

Ready for Prime Time

Here’s a look at my finished KLIO, with completed console, ready to enjoy!

I asked one of my friends if he would “believe me” if I said that this wasn’t a real painting. Turns out the cable (and my curious question) gave it away, so I suppose we’ll leave hiding the cable for another day, another project.

Learn More

More about the KLIO at klioart.com

Houzz has a couple of the best writeups of the digital art frame movement that I’ve seen:

• New Digital Art Frame Gets Put To The Test
• Is The Timing Finally Right For Framed Digital Art?

What do you think?

Let me know in the comments!