Contemporary art is within reach. 

Start your collecting journey with Testudo.

Testudo believes in an art world where everyone has the ability to participate. We created our company to support a healthy ecosystem for studio artists at a critical juncture in their career. Inspired by the passion of our own journey as art collectors, Testudo was created to allow new and experienced collectors to connect with a survey of artists working today. Through extensive content and a digital model that favors transparency and accessibility, we seek to overcome traditional barriers of exclusivity.

Testudo’s digital presence helps collectors of all levels connect with emerging, contemporary art and build enduring collections over time. By providing access to each artist’s intention and practice through documentary videos, original editorials, and transparent information, Testudo offers collectors a view into artists' studios and the opportunity to support individual artists while building a collection on their terms at any given time.

As artists on Testudo receive a higher profit from each sale than from the traditional gallery model, more of each collector’s investment goes to the artists they support. Unlike the existing art market, Testudo also provides a secure avenue for reselling works purchased through its site while allocating a portion of that secondary sale to the artist—aligning the interests of collectors and makers.

Our Values 

The name Testudo reflects our values. In Latin, testudo refers to the tortoise. Just as the shell is the source of a tortoise’s strength and protection, Testudo is a closed ecosystem where artists and collectors can thrive within a platform committed to inclusivity, transparency, and security. The tortoise embodies our vision as a symbol of longevity and endurance.

Inclusivity

• Testudo’s diverse community of artists work across a range of mediums. Our platform offers approachable context and content to comprehend their respective practices.
• We are committed to creating the best possible collector experience. We also believe that buying art is not the only way to support artists and engage with their work.

Transparency

• At Testudo, artists keep 90% of the list price—as compared to galleries, which traditionally offer them 40–50% of each sale—so that they have more to fuel their creativity. Whenever a work resells on Testudo, the original artist receives a 5% allocation of that sale.
• Our prices are not upon request. All pricing information is available for any collector to see.

Security

• Ensuring art reaches its new owner safely isn’t easy. We partner with experienced art shippers to manage packing and shipping so that artists and collectors can avoid these headaches. 
• Our closed ecosystem enhances security at every step. Works only enter directly from the artist. Every time an artwork resells on Testudo, it returns to our facility for inspection and verification.

Our Founders

Kirby Voigtman & John Dennehy met at the University of Michigan in 2013 and married in 2021. After moving to New York, Kirby worked on Wall Street at RBC Capital Markets as a credit trader and analyst. John honed his eye for e-commerce and merchandising as a manager at Bespoke Post, a men’s subscription box startup. Drawing on their careers in finance and e-commerce—and their experiences as devoted collectors of emerging art (especially ceramics and works by queer artists), Kirby & John founded Testudo in 2021 with the mission to establish a more equitable and accessible art market.