Cozomo de’ Medici, an NFT influencer and collector, has announced the donation of several artworks from his collection to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
The donated artworks include 22 NFTs from 13 international artists, spanning the years 2017 to 2022, and come in a variety of styles — including generative, 1/1, book, video, AI, 3D, sculpture, and photography.
Among the donated NFTs are CryptoPunk #3831 by Larva Labs, Woman n° 001 by Yam Karkai, Ringers #962 by Dmitri Cherniak, and others.
These works have already been added to the permanent collection of the LACMA, which means they will be shown among physical works that define the previous 6,000 years of artistic expressions — such as works by Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Cassatt, Andy Warhol, Monet, and others.
Cozomo de’ Medici’s donation aims to merge traditional and emerging art, giving NFTs relevance and placing them on equal footing with traditional art.
This is not the first time someone has gifted blockchain-based artworks to LACMA; in 2021, the museum acquired the “Western Flag” NFT donated by artist John Gerrard, followed by Tom Sachs’ “Rocket Factory”, and Lee Mullican’s ALMT28B.TGA “Computer Joy.”
LACMA has always been engaged in fostering emerging artists and artworks powered by new technology; this donation provides the museum with another opportunity to carry out its mission.
The NFT donation movement is being pushed by many collectors, artists, and projects in an effort to make NFTs and the art they conceal more visible; recently, Yuga Labs donated CryptoPunk #110 NFT to the Centre Pompidou as part of its Punks Legacy Project.
