Christie’s launches an NFT auction platform, Christie’s 3.0

British auction house Christie’s has launched an on-chain auction platform dedicated to NFTs. 

The new Web3 platform, “Christie’s 3.0,” was developed in partnership with minting company Manifold, blockchain data firm Chainanalysis, and Metaverse builder Spatial. 

The inaugural sale, scheduled for September 28, will feature nine artworks by 18-year-old visual artist and activist Diana Sinclair. Additionally to the online auction, the collection, dubbed “Phases,” will be exposed at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries until October 5. 

It’s worth noting that the works were created especially for the auction, which is open until October 11. The estimated price for the lots ranges from 4 ETH to 8 ETH (approximately $5.160 to $10.320 at the time of writing). All the transactions will be processed on the Ethereum blockchain from start to finish. 

“We recognize and bring young emerging artists to an international and digitally savvy market. Christie’s 3.0 deepens our ability to connect clients to the best of the NFT market now via a sophisticated and secure blockchain-native platform for sales,”

said Christie’s in a tweet thread. 

Christie’s is a historic auction house established in 1766. It features over eighty art and luxury categories and achieved the world’s record price for an auctioned artwork by Leonardo Da Vinci. It’s no stranger to NFTs, either. In March 2021, Christie’s auctioned its first NFT, “Everydays” by well-known digital artist Beeple. The lot was sold for $69,346,250 and became one of the most expensive NFTs ever acquired. 

In July this year, the auction house launched a Web3 and fintech venture fund, which provides tech startups with seed funding and helps collectors purchase digital art.