- R.A.R.E Art is launching its marketplace for limited-edition digital art, authenticated on the Ethereum blockchain. (August 15, 7:30am ET)
- Buyers can showcase purchased art on their TV with Chromecast, an HDMI cord, or the RARE Art Apple TV app.
- *R.A.R.E Art is live with over $13,000 in sales and 620 artworks by 140 artists currently for sale.*
August 15, 2019, 7:30am ET
New York, NY, August 15, 2019 — Today R.A.R.E Art is proud to officially launch it's platform and marketplace for limited-edition digital art at RAREart.io! All artworks are verifiably limited-edition because authenticity is tracked on the Ethereum blockchain. Buyers directly support artists, and can showcase their collections on TV screens with Chromecast, an HDMI cord, or the RARE Art Apple TV app.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTmmnpgZNN0
To artists, R.A.R.E Art offers a novel way to make money — selling limited-run digital prints directly to fans. This is in contrast to Instagram where digital creatives publish content for free, promoting themselves and growing a following, while hoping this attention leads to gigs. In practice, an Instagram post earns a like or a comment, whereas R.A.R.E offers cash and the opportunity for a new livelihood.
Naturel Horse Gallop, 2019 Edition of 20
To buyers, R.A.R.E Art offers a delightful new way to discover, collect, and display authentic digital art. Buyers can browse over 620 artworks from 140 artists to find something they love, and then broadcast it to any TV screen in any room. And because each artwork is limited-edition, when it's sold out, no one else can have it!
"Our mission is to increase the total artistic output of humanity," says John Zettler, CEO & CoFounder of R.A.R.E Art. "Artists use digital tools more than ever: digital cameras, video cameras, iPads, Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop...all these tools output art that is digital. At the same time, the visual media we consume is entirely though screens today. R.A.R.E is simply infrastructure to capture value in the creation, and provide better outcomes for artists."
Digital media has historically suffered from a problem of infinite replication, but the blockchain introduces a new way to verify authenticity and manage rights. R.A.R.E Art mints certificates of authenticity for every artwork on the platform. These "certificates", which are in practice tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, bestow a non-commercial display license to the buyer. Buy the artwork once, and display the art anywhere and everywhere (so long as it's not for commercial purposes).
Taj Francis Slide, 2018 Edition of 10
Artists are understandably enthusiastic. "I think there's a generation of us digital artists that are going to embrace this 1000x over," said Naturel, a Washington, DC based artist whose works hang in the home of Jay-Z and Beyoncé. Others, like California-based Brian Romero, preach the benefits of the blockchain: "Digital art...there’s no way to really say who owns it...But once you put it on the blockchain, then it becomes something very limited. Then you can control how many there are and say, 'No, the only real ones are attached to this token.'"
Brian Romero A Lambo Trip to the Moon, 2018 Edition of 21
Buyer demand is in its early days, but the audience and collector-base for limited-edition digital art is growing. R.A.R.E Art has sold tens-of-thousands of dollars of art to hundreds of buyers in its marketplace, and "collectors are finding all sorts of new ways to show off their art," says Zettler. Each purchase comes with a high-res download, which buyers have used to print on clothing, cardstock, tote bags and more. Today represents the launch of Chromecast TV display, with the RARE Art Apple TV app to follow.
Shown in TV display: Rain D. Spann, NEO-RARE, 2018 (Edition of 1)
Creative and design-focused brands are also waking up to the opportunity. R.A.R.E has signed partnerships with skateboarding brands, fashion brands, and independent magazines. Currently for sale is a collage of digital photographs featuring skateboarder Eric Valladares in collaboration with Utmost.
Giancarlo D'Agostaro Eric Valladeres Nollie Flip, 2019 Edition of 10
But not just anyone with a camera phone can sell on R.A.R.E Art's marketplace. "We screen, approve, and stand behind every artist that sells on R.A.R.E," explains John Zettler. "This is very important to us — we are a site for high-quality art, not selfies from your latest vacation."
To find limited-edition digital art for your home and beyond, please visit: RAREart.io.
John Zettler, CEO & CoFounder
email: john@rareart.io
cell: +1.703.915.1877 (will replay ASAP to texts & voicemail)
R.A.R.E Art (RAREart.io) is a marketplace for limited-edition digital art. Buyers can showcase their collection on their TV with Chromecast, an HDMI cord, or the RARE Art Apple TV app, and also get a high-resolution digital download to use for any non-commercial purpose. Certificates of authenticity on the Ethereum blockchain prove limited-edition authenticity and function as a license to use the artwork for any non-commercial purpose.
Rare Art Labs, Inc., the parent company of R.A.R.E Art, was formed in July 2018 by cofounders John Zettler, Kevin Trinh, and Matthew Russo. The company has raised $1M to-date from investors including ConsenSys, Coinbase, Michelle Phan, and a number of crypto-focused angel investors.
The first project to gain mainstream attention was CryptoKitties, launched by Dapper Labs in December 2017, which featured programmatically-generated cat illustrations. Ever since, serious artists and collectors have begun moving into the space, including concept artist Kevin Abosch and his Forever Rose project in 2018.
In January 2018, the founders of Rare Art Labs put on the inaugural Rare Art Festival, in which a digital trading card sold for $38,500 (covered by VICE & The Paris Review). In May 2018, Rare Art Labs co-lead an auction at Ethereal 2018 in which a CryptoKitty was sold at auction for $140,000 (covered by VICE News Tonight & CoinCentral). It was upon these successful events that Rare Art Labs was incorporated and received funding from the above investors.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rareart.io/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rareartlabs
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rareartlabs