If you are into art, you should have heard the name Jackson Pollock. He is an influential figure in the realm of abstract expressionism. Pollock was known for his unique painting techniques, often laying his canvases on the floor of his New York studio. Using a method of dripping and splattering paint, he created a vivid array of abstract art, masterpieces born of the fusion between deliberate gesture and gravity.
Now, in a first for the digital art world, Pollock’s studio floor, enriched by the residue of his artistry, is about to take the spotlight as a new NFT collection. Here’s the launch video and the link to the official website:
Interestingly, the studio floor, adorned with layers of paint, had served as Pollock’s creative landscape. In 1953, as Pollock’s peak creative period drew to a close, the floor was tiled over, inadvertently preserving traces of his artistic journey—swirls and splashes that had spilled onto the floor along with remnants like embedded cigarette butts.
When the flooring was removed in 1987, the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center undertook the preservation of this unique artifact. However, due to the floor’s immovable nature, its accessibility to the public was confined to the physical location of the studio—it could not be loaned or shared beyond this place.
Introducing the Jackson Pollock Studio NFT Collection
On July 20th 2023, in collaboration with the Web3 platform Iconic, the Jackson Pollock Studio is set to digitize this artistic gem as an NFT collection titled “Beyond the Edge.”
This innovative series will present four views of the studio floor, each showcasing the marks and hues linked with Pollock’s famed works like “Number 3, 1950,” “Blue Poles: Number 11, 1952,” and “Convergence.” Limited edition high-resolution captures will be made available to collectors, who will receive both an NFT and a hand-numbered museum-quality print. Each set is priced at 0.8 ETH or $1,500.
The director of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, Helen A. Harrison, marveled at the detail captured by the high-tech camera they used to photograph the floor. The digital stitching together of these images using AI provides viewers with an immersive experience, enabling them to explore the floor’s details more closely than the naked eye allows.
The NFT collection will also feature a Web3 puzzle called “The Pollock Enigma” with rewards for successful decoders. UPDATE: This puzzle has been solved:
In August, the collection will expand to include other collectibles, like Bitcoin Ordinals as well as additional artworks inspired by the studio floor and created by modern digital artists in limited editions.
Harrison sees this initiative as a way to bring Pollock’s art to a wider audience, allowing viewers to understand the significance of the studio floor in Pollock’s creative process. The NFT collection intertwines artifact and art, bridging physical boundaries and opening new ways of appreciating art in the digital era. As Pollock’s paint-splattered floor finds new life on the blockchain, it offers art lovers globally the chance to dive deeper into the enduring legacy of this remarkable artist.