‘The Kiss (Lovers)’ is one of the most famous paintings by legendary artist Gustav Klimt. Now, it’s on sale digitally as an NFT (Non-Fungible Token). The art piece will be broken up into a 100 x 100 grid, resulting in 10,000 unique digital images, all of which depict a small section of the painting. Buyers can register as owners of their piece on the platform thekiss.art, where the picture can be viewed in its entirety.
The digital files went on sale January 26th for collectors and are available to the general public on February 14th. Pieces are being sold for 1,850 euros ($2,085 USD). Making things even more interesting is that the 10,000 digital pieces of the painting will be distributed randomly amongst the buyers, keeping an air of mystery and excitement around which piece you might receive.
Gustav Klimt, The Kiss (Lovers), 1908/09 – image courtesy of the Belvedere Museum
The couple in The Kiss appear intimately entangled, oblivious to their surroundings and lost in their embrace. With this work at the height of his “Golden Period,” Austrian painter Gustav Klimt created a universal allegorical statement about love as a central theme of human existence. The Austrian State bought the work when it was first presented, in 1908, for the recently founded Modern Gallery in the Lower Belvedere. Since then, the painting has remained in the museum’s holdings. Today, The Kiss is considered an icon of Viennese Art Nouveau and European Modernism. It is one of the most famous works of art in the world.
“What does it mean to own a work of art in the digital age?” said says Belvedere General Director Stella Rollig. “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 that, in financial terms, should be taken seriously, yet can also be viewed playfully.”
The pieces will be minted NFTs, meaning that they come with a certificate of authenticity showing that your image is an authentic digital file within the blockchain.
For those looking to make this a special Valentine’s Day gift, a special message of love and affection can be written on the digital file as well and viewed at thekiss.art, making it an interesting and unique symbol of commitment.
For more information, visit thekiss.art