256-year old auction house Christie’s is teaming up with luxury fashion brand Gucci to release a digital art non-fungible token (NFT) collection.
Titled “Future Frequencies: Explorations in Generative Art and Fashion,” the collection features 21 NFTs created by artificial intelligence (AI) artist Claire Silver, generative artist Emily Xie, decentralized autonomous artist Botto and more. The auction, which will take place on the auction house’s digital art platform Christie’s 3.0, opens for bidding on July 18 and closes July 25.
The NFT collection draws inspiration from Gucci textiles, color palettes and its Bamboo 1947 collection – an iconic series of handbags with the brand’s signature bamboo handle. Employing generative systems including algorithms and AI, the collection aims to help expand creativity through the intersection of art, fashion and technology.
Sebastian Sanchez, Manager of Digital Art Sales at Christie’s, told CoinDesk that the collaboration inspires both artists and the fashion industry to tap into Web3 technologies.
“My goal with this auction is to show the intersection – it’s a spectrum right now,” said Sanchez. “There are so many generative artists who are working with studies on textiles, garments, patterns, and then you have people actually doing literal 3D garments and what we’re presenting is everywhere in between those ranges.”
Sanchez added that partnering with Gucci makes the collection especially poignant, and invites both art collectors and fashion lovers to explore the interwoven themes of the art.
“The Gucci name has such a power, and they have their own audience and a proven record that their audience is probably very different from ours,” said Sanchez. “That to me is kind of where the beauty in our collaboration lies – Christie’s is an art expert and Gucci is a fashion expert, and we’re kind of like right in the middle.”
Claire Silver, pseudonymous NFT artist who recently kicked off her solo-show at marketplace SuperRare’s NYC gallery spoke about the two works she created for the collection.
“Combining AI, 3D, film, and advanced mathematical functions with antique paintings and tapestries from China, Japan and Eastern and Western Europe, both works are intended to celebrate the era of AI: the sophistication of experience, the innocent joy of the new, the depth of cultural heritage, and the light of the future,” said Silver.
While Christie’s has been deep in the Web3 space since its record-breaking $69 million sale of artist Beeple’s “EVERYDAYS” NFT in March 2021, Gucci has been slowly growing its presence in its digital fashion and art endeavors. In February 2022, the brand purchased land in metaverse The Sandbox to create the Gucci Vault, its digital experience venue. In June 2022, it invested $25,000 in SuperRare’s native RARE token to join the marketplace’s decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) and launch its “Vault Art Space” to showcase NFT art. Earlier this year, the brand announced a partnership with Yuga Labs to bring high fashion to the Otherside.
