Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and laCollection Launch Second NFT Collection of Rarely Seen French Impressionist Pastels | NFT CULTURE | Web3 Culture NFTs and Crypto Art

BOSTON — In partnership with laCollection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is launching its second NFT collection of rarely exhibited 19th-century French pastels by artists including Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Jean-François Millet. Ahead of the February drop, laCollection will offer a freemint Degas painting Racehorses at Longchamp (1871, possibly reworked 1874) from 5-30. January 2023. Freemint collectors will have access to preferred prices during a pre-sale of digital collectibles as well as a chance to win tickets to the museum, discounts in the MFA bookstore and shop, a behind-the-scenes visit to the museum’s photo studio
to see how artworks are digitized, and tickets to a Frieze art fair.

The January 5 Freemint release coincides with the announcement of the Samsung x laCollection TV app at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. laCollection’s fine art app within Samsung’s NFT Hub – a TV-based NFT explorer and market aggregator – will allow collectors to browse, purchase and display digital collectibles of works from the MFA’s collection on their TVs.

On sale in February, the NFT collection is based on 11 works of art from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ holdings, including:
– View of the Sea at Sunset (c. 1862), a landscape that may have been presented by Monet at the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris in 1874
– Five pastels by Millet, including Dandelion (1867–68) and Farmyard by Moonlight (1868)
– Dancers in Rose (c. 1900), one of Degas’ famous representations of ballerinas

UD’s partnership with laCollection is a pilot project that utilizes new technology to bring the museum’s rarely exhibited pastels to life for a new generation of collectors and art enthusiasts. In the first release that took place through the summer of 2022, the museum and laCollection released NFTs of 12 pastels in editions of 30 to 50, with nearly 250 sold. As with the first collection, proceeds from the sale will support MFA conservators’ study and treatment of two paintings by Degas: the double portraits Edmondo & Thérèse Morbilli (ca. 1865) and Degas’s Father Listening to Lorenzo Pagan’s Playing the Guitar (ca. 1869-72) ).

Eric Woods, Chief Operating Officer at MFA:
“We are excited to continue our partnership with laCollection and begin the second phase of sharing our treasures from the vault. Phase one exceeded our expectations in many ways, generating far-reaching engagement with thousands of people from 200 countries participating. An additional bonus was that we could support the maintenance of our collection in the process. With this next drop, we continue to experiment with new ways to offer NFTs with the expectation of expanding our reach even more and providing new gateways for our collection. We hope art enthusiasts everywhere will start their digital collections with MFA freemint.”

Jean-Sébastien Beaucamps, CEO and co-founder of laCollection:
“laCollection is thrilled to continue its partnership with one of the world’s greatest museums in the world. The first collection has proven that Web3 can help museums share their incredible collection of works with a global community. With this second collection, MFA enthusiasts will be able to discover other rarely exhibited Impressionist pastels from the MFA’s renowned collection through a new way of collecting works of art that changed the course of art history.”

For further information please contact:
Pauline Tremsal, laCollection: [email protected]
Karen Frascona, MFA: [email protected]

About laCollection
laCollection offers collectors new ways to discover, experience and own exceptional art on the blockchain from the world’s best museums and leading digital artists. Each NFT is authenticated, approved by the relevant museum, gallery or artist, and secured on the blockchain. Collectors will be able to create their own cross-museum galleries of digital art, creating a new community of people with a passion for art and innovation. laCollection has teamed up with sustainable forestry technology company EcoTree.green to launch a 60-year nature-based climate positive plan., and tracks its carbon footprint with Green Element, a B-Corp climate and sustainability audit firm offering net-zero
solutions for major international brands, in accordance with the STBi criteria (Science Target Based Initiative) as defined by the UN.

About the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
The MFA brings many worlds together through art. Our renowned collection of nearly 500,000 works showcases masterpieces from ancient to modern, and tells a multifaceted story of the human experience – a story that has unique meaning for everyone. From Boston locals to international travelers, visitors from all over the world come to experience the MFA. Through both art and the public, the museum brings together different perspectives – revealing connections, exploring differences, creating a community where everyone belongs. Plan your visit at mfa.org.

Claude Monet, View of the Sea at Sunset, c. 1862
Pastel on paper, 15.3 x 40 cm
Bequeathed by William P. Blake in memory of his sister, Anne Dehon Blake
© Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Odilon Redon, large green vase with mixed flowers, 1910-12
Pastel on paper, 74.3 x 62.2 cm
Bequest of John T. Spaulding
© Museum of Fine Arts, Boston