In his recent Artnome article “Is Art Blockchain’s Killer App?,” Jason Bailey interviewed several innovators in the art space, including Artory Founder & CEO, Nanne Dekking to bring attention to the “strongest signs of momentum in the adoption of blockchain for the world of art.”
Bailey predicted current developments in a previous article, Art World, Meet Blockchain, when he“implied that large organizations like Christie’s would be better served teaming up with smaller, more nimble startups to explore technological innovations like blockchain.”
This collaboration has come to fruition with Christie’s and Artory teaming upon a pilot project to record the upcoming $300M sale of the Ebsworth Collection on the blockchain.
On the collaboration, Bailey commented:
“Christie’s has since made the right move in my opinion, forming a partnership with the blockchain title registry Artory. Artory brings the rapid innovation of a startup, with a known quantity at the helm in founder Nanne Dekking, who also serves as the current chairman of TEFAF (The European Fine Art Foundation).
I think this crawl, walk, run approach is the exact right one to mitigate potential concerns from their collector base while exploring the upside that blockchain could bring to their business and the art industry at large. It is clearly a win for Artory and a reflection of the trust Nanne Dekking has established in the art world. “
When asked by Bailey for his thoughts on the partnership, Dekking replied:
“We are honored that Christie’s is teaming up with our blockchain-secured art registry for its upcoming sale of the Barney A. Ebsworth Collection of American modernism. The house will become the first major auctioneer to apply the innovative technology. For first-time buyers and experienced collectors alike, Artory provides: the reassurance that they are dealing with a vetted seller; that there will be an immutable record of the transaction; and that they will receive a certificate of sale from an independent third party — all of which encourage them to act with confidence.”
