Art Blocks Acquires NFT Marketplace Sansa

““I have been wanting to see Art Blocks lean into the breadth of what has been released on the platform for a long time,” Art Blocks founder and CEO Erick Calderon said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “We’re going to broaden the ways that creators can release within the Art Blocks ecosystem as well as bring collector’s collections home to a more cohesive experience.”

He added that, “We were born out of a pure passion for the generative medium and we will continue to build out towards the best possible creator and collector experience we can think of with a bright future for individual expression in mind.”

Founded in November 2022 with a focus on generative art and Art Blocks, Sansa has expanded its remit to cover a wide range of digital art, artists and galleries. Artists are vetted through an application process, enabling collectors to view a curated selection of artwork. Since its launch, over 1,300 artworks have been purchased on the platform, with sales totalling over $2.2 million.

Art Blocks is a generative art company founded by Erick ‘Snowfro’ Calderon in 2020, aimed at providing a destination that brings together artists and collectors. Leading NFT art projects within the Art Blocks ecosystem include Calderon’s own “Chromie Squiggles” along with Tyler Hobbs’ “Fidenza” and Dmitri Cherniak’s “Ringers,” one of which sold for $6.2 million in an auction at Sotheby’s last year.

In March 2023, Art Blocks debuted its own NFT marketplace with enforced creator royalties; its acquisition of Sansa is the first of many updates teased by the company in 2024.