From high-profile scams and corporate implosions to cratering prices and an ongoing “crypto winter,” it’s no surprise that auction houses and startups offering fine art NFTs are promoting safety as a core selling point in 2023.
Recently, a group of art-world veterans — led by the former head of digital at Gagosian and the founder of design marketplace Minted — unveiled Tonic, a new fine art platform that strives to offer a “safe and welcoming space” for NFT experts and beginners alike to buy digital art.
Adding to Tonic’s bona fides are founding partners that include Swiss designer Yves Béhar, American interior designer Brigette Romanek, and French architect and designer India Mahdavi.
Tonic’s first NFT collection, Jaime Derringer’s generative art series “Chromesthesia: Ascend,” will launch on January 31. Featuring algorithmic disruptions to Derringer’s original paper and digital works, the drop is notably phygital in its execution. (Fitting, as Tonic has indicated that it hopes to be a bridge to nudge NFT buyers towards collecting physical artwork as well.)
As Tonic chairman Mariam Naficy told Artnet News, “The growth of a new generation of art collectors is really important,” adding, “We see the potential of accelerating the onboarding of new people into believing in art and actually collecting art.”
Following the release of Derringer’s “Chromesthesia: Ascend” collection on January 31, upcoming Tonic drops include Stefano Contiero on February 23 and William Mapan on March 10.
