Is this new or is there a unique angle to it that I missed? Rent-a-painting (and rent-a-sculpture etc) has existed here (Netherlands) for at least 10 years, and pretty much all of them offer 'buy if you like' options.
A variety of small galleries here in the US offer the option as well, with great success. We're hoping we can expand the number of people with access to this type of art buying to a more national, and hopefully global, community.