The 256-year-old auction house Christie’s has teamed 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 July 18 and closes July 25.
The NFT collection is inspired by Gucci textiles, color palettes and the Bamboo 1947 collection – an iconic series of handbags featuring the brand’s signature bamboo handle. Using generative systems, including algorithms and AI, the collection aims to help enhance creativity by intersecting art, fashion and technology.
Sebastian Sanchez, Manager of Digital Art Sales at Christie’s, told CoinDesk that the collaboration is inspiring both artists and the fashion industry to leverage Web3 technologies.
“My goal with this auction is to show the intersection — it’s a spectrum right now,” Sanchez said. “There are so many generative artists who work with studies of textiles, clothes, patterns, and then you have people who literally create 3D garments and what we’re presenting is everywhere in between those ranges.”
Sanchez added that the collaboration with Gucci makes the collection particularly compelling, inviting art collectors and fashion enthusiasts alike to explore the art’s intertwined themes.
“The Gucci name has such power, and they have their own audience and a proven track record that their audience is probably very different from ours,” said Sanchez. “That to me is kind of where the beauty lies in our partnership – Christie’s is an art expert and Gucci is a fashion expert, and we’re kind of in between.”
Claire Silver, pseudonymous NFT artist who recently kicked off her solo show at marketplace SuperRare’s NYC gallery, spoke about the two works she’s created for the collection.
“Combining AI, 3D, film and advanced math 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 refinement 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 the record-breaking $69 million sale of artist Beeple’s “EVERYDAYS” NFT in March 2021, Gucci has been slowly growing in its digital fashion and art endeavors. In February 2022, the brand purchased land in metaverse The Sandbox to create the Gucci Vault, the venue for digital experiences. In June 2022, it invested $25,000 in SuperRare’s native RARE token to join the market’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.