Through these collections, we want to set this realm in stone, just as every era has had its own tool for expressing visual arts over millennia. Think of the Ancient Egyptians painting on tombs, the Chinese on silk, and the Italians of the Early Renaissance on canvas. Think of the terressae over the world and their evolutions. Think of Durer’s etching, engraving and woodcut prints, Senefelder’s lithographies, and all the works they inspired. Think of Scharf, Haring, and Basquiat using the streets of New York as their canvas.
The beauty of the digital medium is its absolute timelessness and universality, one that allows access to art beyond borders. Bringing established artists into this new space will allow them to express their genius in unprecedented ways, paving the path to this new world. As for estates, working with leading experts helps us imagine how the late artists’ work would have looked like in this immense medium and allows us to conserve this part of history in our era.
