The Museum of Modern Art in New York has acquired eight CryptoPunks and eight Chromie Squiggles for its permanent collection, donated rather than purchased. The 16 works will be housed in MoMA’s Media and Performance department and will be viewable on MoMA’s website. They represent one of the most significant institutional endorsements of onchain art to date.
CryptoPunks entering MoMA include #74, #2786, #3407, #4018, #5160, #5616, #7178, and #7899. Larva Labs founders Matt Hall and John Watkinson donated Punks #74 and #5160. Other donors included Mara and Erick Calderon (CryptoPunk #2786), Rhydon and Caroline Lee (#3407), Ryan Zurrer of 1OF1 AG (#4018), judithESSS (#5616), the Tomaino Family (#7178), and the Cozomo de’ Medici Collection (#7899).
Chromie Squiggles donations and community coordination were similarly organized through donor contributions, with SquiggleDAO, gmoneyNFT, jdh, VonMises14, and several anonymous collectors noted by 1OF1_art. MoMA curators Stuart Comer and Michelle Kuo publicly thanked the donors in an X post. Chromie Squiggles, the genesis collection from generative art platform Art Blocks launched by Erick Calderon (Snowfro) in November 2020, forms the other half of MoMA’s onchain acquisition.
The acquisition follows broader moves to embed CryptoPunks in leading art institutions, including May’s sale of the CryptoPunks intellectual property to the Infinite Node Foundation. The foundation aims to embed CryptoPunks in major art institutions worldwide as part of its stewardship program.
The MoMA move comes as blue-chip NFTs have drawn renewed market attention, with CryptoPunks experiencing notable trading activity and a high market capitalization alongside broader market fluctuations. MoMA’s decision elevates CryptoPunks and Chromie Squiggles from speculative assets to historical artifacts and signals that onchain art has entered the canon. As more museums pursue similar acquisitions, donors and foundations are likely to shape a growing institutional narrative around these works.
Leave a Reply