Buybuyart's app's pictures for home decoration.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhong, the oil painter, sells a lot of prints of his works.

Ywart founder and former museum director Zhu Tong says a client once bought 900 prints of an established artist's work.

Then, in January, another client ordered 350 prints of a particular work as gifts for her company's clients.

The client told Zhu that she was bored of buying scarves or tea as gifts and never imagined that works from renowned artists could be so affordable.

"The demand for art is always there, but we fail to meet it. With mobile technology, people can access high-quality art easily," says Zhu. Zhu says the number of users has crossed 10,000. Many buy original works that are priced from 5,000 to 50,000 yuan.

Zhu says abstract works and those with bright colors are favored by buyers who mainly buy art for decoration. A user from Changsha in Hunan province bought three works worth more than 200,000 yuan.

Zhu has also opened physical stores in big cities, including in Nanjing, Suzhou and Shenzhen. He also works with real estate companies and hotels to help them decorate.

"People see art pieces at our stores or spaces and they then turn to our app to buy them," he says.