In October, together with Gazelli Art House and the Harold Cohen Estate, we presented AARON: The Earliest AI Program for Artmaking by Harold Cohen, a selling exhibition at Sotheby’s.
For the first time, the Harold Cohen Trust honored the artist’s legacy with the posthumous minting of a selection of his works as ERC-721 tokens on the blockchain. This marked a significant milestone in the evolution of digital art and solidified Cohen’s lasting influence on generative art.
Explore the full experience here
Each token corresponds to a physical, signed print and contains detailed information about the physical work and the token. Using our NFC chips, attached discreetly behind each print, collectors can tap their smartphones to access the certificate of authenticity, connecting seamlessly to the digital collectible. This integration bridges the physical and digital worlds, ensuring the provenance and authenticity of each piece.
Additionally, Verisart paired each digital certificate with a holographically printed certificate. Uniquely numbered and securely linked to its digital counterpart.
When scanned, it directs collectors to the digital certificate, offering a comprehensive view of the artwork’s history, metadata and provenance.
View a Harold Cohen’s 040502 (i23-3377) certificate here
Harold Cohen (1928-2016), an English-born artist and a pioneer in computer art, is celebrated for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of art and technology, establishing him as a foundational figure in the development of computational art. For the first time, the Harold Cohen Trust is pleased to honour his legacy with the posthumous minting of a selection of his works as ERC-721 tokens on the blockchain, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of digital art and solidifying his lasting influence on generative art.
All his works form part of the 2002-2004 Digital Prints Era which marked a pivotal moment in Harold Cohen’s artistic journey. Many were shown at the ‘Untouched by Hands’ exhibition at the Earl & Birdie Taylor Library in San Diego, California. They were originally printed as larger-scale works on the artist’s wide-format Roland printer. The works highlight the artist’s evolving approach to representation, as AARON reimagined natural forms—particularly potted plants—and experimented with their arrangement in space, from tables and tiled floors to their eventual liberation from pots altogether.
The collection represents a crucial departure from earlier representational forms, with Cohen allowing AARON to autonomously manipulate these elements, creating a seamless blend of human input and machine-generated imagery.
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