Michael Bouhanna, the Vice President and Head of Digital Art at Sotheby’s, recently shared some exciting news about the world of digital art. Despite the ups and downs experienced by non-fungible tokens (NFTs) this year, it turns out that 2023 has been quite a remarkable year for digital art at Sotheby’s, one of the leading art brokers.
Bouhanna exclaimed, “2023 at Sothebys will remain one of the most exciting years for Digital Art.”
A Record-Breaking Year for Sotheby’s Digital Artwork
In a social media post, Bouhanna shared some of Sotheby’s impressive feats in the digital art sector this year. One of the standout achievements was the sale of a digital artwork for an all-time high price of $6.2 million. The piece in question? Dmitri Cherniak’s “Ringers #879 (The Goose).”
Bouhanna also mentioned that Sotheby’s hosted over 25 auctions this year, focusing either entirely on digital art or featuring it alongside contemporary art. He proudly noted a particularly significant event: their first ever live auction dedicated to digital art, which drew in over 300 attendees and raked in $12 million.
Sotheby’s and the Digital Art Journey
It’s been nearly two years since Sotheby’s started exploring the world of digital art. Back on October 18, BeInCrypto reported that Sotheby’s was gearing up to launch “Sotheby’s Metaverse,” aimed at providing digital collectors with a specially curated collection of NFTs.
NFTs have played a crucial role in supporting art auction houses during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially when many traditional art venues had to shut their doors. Moreover, NFTs have opened up new avenues for exposing artwork to audiences that might not have been reached through traditional channels.
