NFTs of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss to launch for Valentine’s Day

The Belvedere Museum is launching an NFT of The Kiss – one of the world’s most famous works of art – with a limited number of digital copies to be offered for sale.

The museum is partnering with artèQ, an NFT investment fund that works with galleries and art experts to invest in exclusive and respected artworks.

Painted by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, The Kiss is an iconic piece known for its theme of love and intimacy, and it’s only fitting that the NFT launch of the painting is targeted for Valentine’s Day.

The painting will be divided into 10,000 individual pieces that will be offered as NFTs, with customers able to register to purchase on the thekiss.art platform on January 25 at 12am (CET).

On February 9, buyers will receive authorisation to purchase minted NFTs of a piece of the digital Kiss through payment of Ethereum, a credit card or EPS online payment.

Belvedere general director Stella Rollig said the growth of the NFT market has given the art world a new audience.

“What does it mean to own a work of art in the digital age?” she asked.

“The rise of NFTs, which has preoccupied the art world since 2020, has given fresh impetus to this intriguing question.

“The conversion of digital reproductions into virtual originals opens up new forms of participation, which, in financial terms, should be taken seriously, yet can also be viewed playfully.”

Art world and NFTs

With the advent of the digital asset industry, art galleries and museums have taken advantage of the burgeoning industry and, like Rollig said, the conversion of digital copies into virtual originals brings a new audience to the art industry.

The British Museum took the plunge in 2021 when the institution created a series of NFTs from famous Japanese artist Hokusai, including his work The Great Wave.

Online gallery Saatchi Art opened reservations for its debut NFT collection ‘The Other Avatars’ featuring artwork inspired by the likes of Vincent Van Gogh.