Public Key / Private Key by Jennifer and Kevin McCoy

Commissioned by the Whitney for its artport site, this work is one of the first to engage with blockchain technology to make its way to a museum’s permanent collection. The work in this way is an entire reimagination of the relationship between artwork, museum and audience. Acquired by the Whitney Museum’s Christiane Paul, this piece’s incorporation of blockchain technology allow the market life of the work to continue beyond its acquisition. Fifty NFTs, dubbed digital certificates by the museum, linked to the artwork, were given to donors who could freely transfer or sell them. As these certificates change hands, the evolving list of donors is tracked on the museum’s website. Additionally, the artwork itself contains a blockchain key, making the first audience member to discover it the fifty-first donor.