The Centre Pompidou, which houses the first collection of contemporary art in Europe, will debut a new exhibition this spring that explores the relationship between blockchain technology and the arts.
The Centre Pompidou, the foremost contemporary art institution in Paris, said on February 10 that a forthcoming permanent show will focus on the relationship between art and the blockchain as represented by nonfungible tokens (NFTs).
The Centre will exhibit NFTs by more than 16 digital artists from across the world, including well-known rarities like CryptoPunk #110 and Autoglyph #25, both of which were donated to the Centre Pompidou.
The Centre Pompidou is "pursuing its interest in digital art, in conjunction with the blockchain," according to Xavier Rey, director of the French National Museum of Modern Art. According to Rey:
“Web3 is an innovative territory that artists have now seized upon to create original and daring work, and this collection reaffirms our support for artists in their conquest of new means of expression, which is the foundation of modern art.“
The exhibition, which is slated to open this spring, will be NFT's first showing at the famed Centre Pompidou, which also houses the works of Vasily Kandinsky, Frida Kahlo, and Henri Matisse.
We are honored to announce that Autoglyph #25 (donated by us), and Cryptopunk #110 (generously donated by our friends at @yugalabs) have been acquired by @CentrePompidou for their permanent collection. pic.twitter.com/q8URwLHbTR
— Larva Labs (@larvalabs) February 10, 2023
Yuga Labs, the company that developed NFT and has controlled CryptoPunks' intellectual property since March 2022, said that the program is a component of a legacy project that provides Punks to eminent art institutions all over the world. The business has previously given CryptoPunk #305 to Miami's Institute of Contemporary Art.
Yuga Labs co-founder Greg Solano commented:
“Seeing CryptoPunk #110 displayed in the Centre Pompidou, arguably the world’s most prestigious contemporary art museum, is a great moment for the Web3 and NFT ecosystem, and we’re honored to help drive this cultural conversation.”
In-game goods, music, films, and other real-world elements are represented digitally by NFTs. Based on distributed ledger technology, NFTs may be used as a means of verification for purchasers of one-of-a-kind goods, verifying details like ownership.
