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In a significant moment at the joinder of traditional and digital art, Larva Labs—the creators behind seminal projects CryptoPunks and Autoglyphs—announced the auction of their exclusive “Autoglyph 30” at Fair Warning Auction House on Sept. 26.
Estimated to garner between $150,000 and $200,000, the entire sum from the sale will benefit Oceana, a leading organization dedicated to eliminating plastic pollution at its source. This initiative addresses the escalating climate crisis and its disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.
John Watkinson, co-founder of Larva Labs, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “Matt and I have chosen Fair Warning for this charity auction as it is a highly curated platform with a unique focus on exceptional quality art. Loïc Gouzer, the founder of Fair Warning, is a tastemaker in the art world and a big supporter of generative art.”
Fair Warning Auction House, founded by former Christie’s Chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art Loïc Gouzer, operates as a members-only platform that showcases one exceptional artwork at a time through live digital auctions. The auction house has built a reputation for its meticulous selection process, offering works distinguished by their artistic merit and scarcity.
A leading art dealer and philanthropist who previously served as Chairman for the Post-War & Contemporary Art Department at Christie’s, Gouzer is famed for orchestrating the record $450 million “Salvador Mundi” auction at Christie’s in 2017.
“Autoglyph 30” is part of a limited series of 512 NFTs known as Autoglyphs, residing on the Ethereum blockchain and utilizing the ERC-721 token standard. Launched in 2019, Autoglyphs represent a historic foray into generative digital art. Uniquely, they were accessible to anyone willing to donate 0.2 ETH—approximately $35 at the time—to 350.org, an organization focused on combating climate change. This particular piece is one of the 128 original artworks minted and retained by Larva Labs, making it a rare and sought-after item in the NFT landscape.
“We are honored to partner with Larva Labs and Oceana for this auction,” said Gouzer, founder of Fair Warning. “At Fair Warning, we only auction artists and artworks that we truly believe in. We see Autoglyphs as seminal works in the realm of generative digital art. They have been instrumental not only in putting digital art on the map but also in contributing significantly to the larger art discourse.”
The significance of Autoglyphs extends beyond the digital realm; they have been recognized by some of the world’s most prestigious art institutions. Autoglyph #25 is part of the permanent collection at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Autoglyph #115 was recently donated by the artists to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. These acquisitions underscore the cultural and artistic value of the series.
Adding to their acclaim, a set of ten Autoglyphs recently sold for 5,000 ETH to a distinguished private collector, marking one of the highest-recorded NFT sales to date. This monumental transaction highlights the growing appreciation and investment in digital art assets.
By directing the auction proceeds to Oceana, Larva Labs is not only supporting environmental conservation but also setting a precedent for how digital art can serve philanthropic causes. Plastic pollution remains a critical global issue, exacerbating climate change and posing severe health risks to vulnerable communities. Oceana’s efforts focus on policy advocacy and promoting sustainable practices to mitigate these impacts.
The auction of “Autoglyph 30” is scheduled for Sept. 26 at Fair Warning Auction House. Interested parties are encouraged to engage with this landmark occasion, which promises to leave a lasting impact on both the art world and environmental conservation efforts.
Editor’s note: This article was written by an nft now staff member in collaboration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT o1.
