Maddie Landis
The Art Market's Evolution: Connecting the Arnolfini Portrait and Bored Ape Yacht Club #7698
Examining Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, this paper investigates shifts in the global art market, the emergence of new mediums, and the stratification of cultural capital throughout different social classes. In 1434, the Netherlandish painter, Jan van Eyck, was commissioned to paint a portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife. The painting depicts Arnolfini and his wife holding hands in a lavish Flemish bedchamber. Portrait paintings were usually limited to the aristocracy. However, in the 15th century, the middle-class obtained more autonomy. Flanders, a heavily urbanized area, grew as a major trading center in Northern Europe. Guilds were drawn to Flemish cities because of the steady influx of raw materials for their crafts. Wealthy merchants, rather than members of the aristocracy, served as patrons of art.
BAYC #7698Various celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Steph Curry, Post Malone, and Paris Hilton collect Bored Apes. This one is owned by Jimmy Fallon. Owners of Bored Apes have commercial rights over the image, membership to exclusive holder events (the Strokes held a concert at Brooklyn Steel in November for owners), and access to other Bored Ape related NFTs.
On April 23rd, 2021, the Bored Ape `Yacht Club (BAYC) collection launched on the Ethereum blockchain. The collection holds 10,000 NFTs. NFTs represent a shift in buying power and the attributions of wealth in modern society. Pairing the Alforini Portrait and the Bored Ape Yacht Club 7698 demonstrates the emergence of new mediums, changes in the art market in terms of patrons and subject matter, and the use of motifs to demonstrate wealth and status.
BAYC #599
NFT Auction – Christie's CryptoPunks was one of the first NFTs projects to be launched on the Ethereum blockchain in 2017. Originally, they were given away for free. The creators wanted the collection to reflect the rebellious, non-conformist nature of cryptocurrency and thought the 1970s London punk scene fit their desired aesthetic. In recent years, their prices have surged. A bundle of CryptoPunks was sold at a Christies auction on May 11th, 2021, for about $17 million.
Frans Snyders and Jan Wildens, Fish Market, 1618-1621, oil on canvas, 82.2 in x 11.1 ft, Hermitage Museum “Fish Market” by Frans Snyders was an early 17th-century commodity painting. It showcases Antwerp’s prosperity as a port city with various imported fish at a fish market. Like the Arnolfini Portrait and the Bored Ape, it is a work sold on the open art market.
Maddie Landis
(she/her)
Art History & International Business ‘22
Maddie is a senior art history and international business major with a French minor. Her studies have allowed her to examine the convergence of business and art. Maddie is pursuing a career in art law. Following graduation, she will be working as a Client Liaison at Freeman’s Auction in Philly. Her favorite things include traveling, watching Studio Ghibli movies, making her friends laugh, rooting for the Red Sox, and spending time outside.