The Norman Rockwell Museum, in collaboration with the Norman Rockwell Family, has announced the launch of its inaugural non-fungible token (NFT) collection, titled “Studio Sessions: The Norman Rockwell Collection.”
The series pays tribute to Norman Rockwell, one of the most influential image-makers of the 20th century. It features limited print editions of previously unreleased images, paired with limited-edition NFTs.
The collection will be rolled out in segments, referred to as “Sessions,” each consisting of a curated selection of pieces from Rockwell’s vast archive, comprising over 18,000 process photographs and draft works created during the mid-20th century.
The development of this initiative is the result of a collaboration with Iconic, a Web3 platform dedicated to cultural institutions, and IMG, the global licensing representative for the Norman Rockwell Family Agency.
More details about the collection, including pricing and the release date, will be disclosed on November 1.
Proceeds from the sale of these digital collectibles will support the museum’s core mission — which involves preserving illustration art — and the Rockwell Family’s administration of the artist’s work and legacy.
Laurie Norton Moffatt, the Director/CEO of the Norman Rockwell Museum, stated, “By transforming Rockwell’s artistic process into limited digital editions (NFTs), we bring Rockwell’s classical American illustration into contemporary digital art forms to be enjoyed by new generations.”
This initiative, aimed at safeguarding and expanding Rockwell’s artistic legacy in a new era and through a new digital medium, aligns with other instances where NFTs have been used to preserve art and history.
In October 2022, rare photographs of Marilyn Monroe, taken by renowned photographer Richard C. Miller, were sold as NFTs on the NFT marketplace Phto. In May 2022, Luckmon collaborated with the Chamsori Gramophone Museum and Edison Science Museum to establish a unique NFT initiative, which included the ownership of a historical innovation by the American icon Thomas Edison.
