Later this month, Sotheby’s will launch a series of sales featuring an important collection of digital art, including generative art NFTs and notable works by leading artists. Primarily from 2021, the GRAILS collection, part of the Three Arrows Capital, Ltd. Asset Portfolio, celebrates influential artists who contributed to the cultural mainstreaming of NFTs and digital art.
The collection showcases groundbreaking pieces that shifted perceptions of digital art and culturally significant works challenging ownership concepts. Its holdings represent the highest quality works classified as grails. Highlights include Dmitri Cherniak’s Ringers #879, Snowfro’s Chromie Squiggle #1780, Tyler Hobbs’ Fidenza #216, Larva Labs’ Zombie CryptoPunk #6649, and Autoglyph #187.
As Michael Bouhanna, Sotheby’s Head of Digital Art and NFTs, notes, “Collections often reflect the time and place they were formed, narrating a unique story through their artworks. This extensive collection represents a crucial moment in the rise of generative art on the blockchain in 2021, and was driven by a focus on acquiring high-quality and rare works available in the market. Since that pivotal moment, when digital art and NFTs became a widespread pop culture phenomenon, generative art has continued to attract a growing audience, including major international institutions.”
Chromie Squiggle, #1780. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s
Bouhanna adds that the emergence of this collection presents a significant opportunity for collectors to acknowledge the innovative generative artists who introduced the form to a broader audience and continue to advance it.
Works from the GRAILS collection will be available across various live and online auctions at Sotheby’s locations worldwide, as well as private sales and other channels, to display works in different contexts and formats. Sales will begin with seven works auctioned during Sotheby’s marquee sale week this May in New York. Select highlights will also be displayed at Sotheby’s New York galleries starting 6 May, alongside works spanning 400 years of art history.
Digital art and NFTs have become pop culture phenomena, attracting a growing audience and major international institutions. The emergence of the GRAILS collection presents a unique opportunity for collectors to celebrate pioneering artists who helped bring the form to a wider audience and continue to push it forward.
