Generative Art Timeline · Chapter 10: On-Chain Era (2020s)
2023
SFMOMA Acquires First NFT

In January, following closely behind the heels of Buffalo AKG, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) acquired its first NFT just a few weeks after Buffalo’s acquisition. This embrace of the latest from the digital art movement was part of a global embrace of NFTs by modern art institutions around the world in 2023. The piece itself, Final Transformation #2 (2022) was by Lynn Hershman Leeson, known for her exploration of technology’s impact on humanity. The artist created the NFT as part of her ongoing engagement with digital media and film. The work featured an excerpt from her 1997 film Conceiving Ada and a nod to her installation Room #8 (2006–18). It was generously donated by the artist. This acquisition marks SFMOMA’s commitment to integrating digital innovation into its esteemed collection.
Text by Peter Bauman. Generative Art Timeline, Le Random.
Sources
People
Movements
generative art
Filed under
- Ideas
- collecting, digital art, film, generative art, institutions, museums, NFT Art
- Technologies
- NFTs
- People
- Lynn Hershman Leeson
- Works
- Conceiving Ada, Final Transformation #2, Room #8
- Organisations
- Buffalo AKG, SFMOMA
- Places
- San Francisco
Echoes across time
- 1969 · Cross Talk Intermedia at the Yoyogi Gymnasium, Tokyo
- 1979 · Cybernetic Symbiosis, Berkeley: Lawrence Hall of Science
- 1997 · Cities on the move: Contemporary Asian Art at the turn of the 21st c., Vienna
Le Random editorials
Le Random podcast
- Timeline Ch 10—On-Chain Era (2020s) with Erick Calderon, Lauren Lee McCarthy, Itzel Yard & Rafael Lozano-Hemmer — listen with transcript on Le Random (02 Sep 2024, 63 min). Chapter 10’s episode. Apple Podcasts · Spotify