Only the continuous integration and innovation of culture and technology can better achieve the inheritance of civilization.
Quotation:
In the past few years, the founder of TRON, Sun Yuchen, has been active in the ocean of art as a global consultant of Huobi HTX Advisory Committee. From the earliest participation in the auction of Beeple's "EVERYDAYS" works, to multiple purchases of well-known encrypted art collections and NFTs, and then to entering the traditional art market to acquire works by top artists such as Picasso and Giacometti, and holding various art exhibitions in collaboration with well-known foundations… The integration wave of the art world and technology is becoming more and more intense, and behind some key nodes, one can see the shadow of Sun Yuchen and TRON.
I. Sun Yuchen presents the collection "The Nose" at the Giacometti Paris Special Exhibition
Recently, a top global art special exhibition opened in Paris, France, attracting extensive coverage from well-known media at home and abroad, including authoritative French and fashion art media.
The Giacometti Paris "The Nose" special exhibition was jointly sponsored by TRON and APENFT
This exhibition was jointly organized by the Giacometti Foundation, the APENFT Foundation, and TRON, focusing on the iconic work "The Nose" by the Swiss national treasure-level surrealist artist Alberto Giacometti. The organizers collected all versions of "The Nose" currently available, with the work numbered 6/6 coming from the private collection of Sun Yuchen, the founder of TRON—this was acquired by Sun Yuchen in November 2021 for $78.4 million, setting a new record for the highest auction price of Giacometti's series of works. This work was created by Giacometti in 1964.
Sun Yuchen's collection "The Nose" (1964) at the special exhibition
Who is Giacometti, and why is Sun Yuchen willing to spend a huge sum to collect his works?
He is one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century. As a Swiss master of existentialist sculpture, Giacometti's sculptures mostly reflect the fear and loneliness prevalent in people's hearts after World War II. With a highly contemporary and unique artistic style, Giacometti became a representative artist of modern art in the 20th century. He is not only an important figure in art history and one of the creators of the highest records in the global art market, but also an "artist among artists" with a wide influence on numerous artists from the East and the West.
Giacometti x Annette Messager "The Nose. Cinematographic Sculpture"
If one must use monetary value to measure his works, Giacometti outperforms Picasso in the auction market. According to the Artnet price database, in 2015, Giacometti had a total of 117 works auctioned, with a total auction amount of $251.6 million, ranking second on the annual list of modern artists; while Picasso, who ranked first, had a total auction amount of $650 million, with as many as 2800 works entering the auction. This comparison of data also indicates the rarity of Giacometti's works in the auction market.
With works being scarce in the auction market, prices naturally continue to rise. In recent years, Giacometti's works, especially his sculptures, have repeatedly set new auction records at international auctions: at the 2015 Christie's New York auction, Giacometti's sculpture "L'Homme au doigt" eventually sold for $141 million, once again setting a new record for global sculpture auction.
Sun Yuchen's collection "The Nose" attracts visitors
Take Sun Yuchen's appearance at the Giacometti Paris special exhibition with his collection "The Nose" as an example. This work is one of Giacometti's most important and influential sculptures, and it has been the "face" of all Giacometti exhibitions throughout history—the art world even has a saying, "Without 'The Nose,' there is no exhibition," which shows the significant importance of this sculpture in Giacometti's career and its profound impact on art history.
Annette Messager's "Mother and Child" (left) and Giacometti's "The Nose" (right)
Among all the works in the "The Nose" series, only 2 are currently circulating in the market, and the rest are collected by well-known museums around the world, including the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Giacometti Foundation, and the Basel Art Museum. Sun Yuchen's selfless contribution of this heavyweight collection to the exhibition allows more ordinary people to fully appreciate the beauty of Giacometti's art. This is also the first complete assembly of his series of works, which holds an important position in the entire history of art.
In this special exhibition of "The Nose," the public also witnessed a new way of presenting art. Due to the fragility of one version of "The Nose," the organizers, with the help of the APENFT Foundation and TRON, used virtual technology for the first time to present it, interpreting the profound connotation of great sculptural art through modern technology.
II. Art is priceless, and collector Sun Yuchen lavishly "buys, buys, buys"
The "The Nose" with the number 6/6 exhibited this time is just one of Sun Yuchen's many art collections. In fact, as early as 2021, he began to lay out in the art market, with his footprint covering encrypted digital art, traditional modern art, and also supporting the establishment of the APENFT Foundation to promote the wave of innovation in digital art.
Sun Yuchen served as the Permanent WTO Representative and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Grenada in November 2021
Looking back at the 2021 crypto bull market, many people were still immersed in the ups and downs of the market and unable to extricate themselves, and those who were successful indulged in material satisfaction. However, Sun Yuchen was different from these people. As an early evangelist and practitioner in the blockchain industry, he achieved "success" in the secular sense at an early age, having served as the Permanent WTO Representative and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Grenada, which also attracted attention from the international community.
Life needs to find new directions of value, and Sun Yuchen eventually set his sights on the field of art, which is related to his original experience. With a bachelor's degree in history from Peking University and a master's degree in law from the University of Pennsylvania, Sun Yuchen discovered from the long river of history that wealth and status are all illusions, and only art can be passed down for thousands of years, so he turned to the art world.
Sun Yuchen with his collection of Picasso's work "Reclining Nude Woman with Necklace"
In addition to encrypted art, Sun Yuchen also has a strong preference for traditional modern art. In the 2021 Christie's evening auction in London, he spent about £16 million to acquire Picasso's "Reclining Nude Woman with Necklace (Marie-Thérèse)" and Andy Warhol's "Three Self-Portraits." Later that year, at the Sotheby's New York autumn auction, Sun Yuchen bought the sculpture "The Nose" for $78.4 million. In addition, his collection includes: Pak's work "Cube," officially priced at $500-1,500 per unlimited edition when sold; and KAWS's packaging painting series "Untitled (KIMPSONS)," which was sold for 2.52 million Hong Kong dollars at an auction curated by Jay Chou.
Zeng Fanzhi's "Portrait of Sun Yuchen"
It is no exaggeration to say that Sun Yuchen's collection covers a wide range of works, including both Eastern and Western, modern and contemporary artists, as well as digital art. In his selection of artworks, he emphasizes the quality and uniqueness of the art, and pays close attention to the background and creative concepts of the artists. With a unique perspective and precise judgment, each of his acquisitions not only refreshes various art transaction records but also brings shock to the entire collecting community.
Of course, Sun Yuchen's lavish purchases of these works for art are not just for personal collection, but more for public exhibition purposes. As early as the beginning of 2021, he announced his support for the establishment of the APENFT Foundation, dedicated to promoting the integration of metaverse finance and art, investing in NFT art, and traditional physical art. Most of the collections purchased by Sun Yuchen have also been donated to the foundation.
Sun Yuchen acquired Andy Warhol's representative work "Three Self-Portraits" in 2021
Currently, the APENFT Foundation's collection includes Picasso's masterpiece "Reclining Nude Woman with Necklace," Andy Warhol's "Three Self-Portraits," Zeng Fanzhi's "Portrait of Sun Yuchen," Beeple's "Ocean's Front" and "ABUNBANCE" (5 pieces), as well as the complete set of NFT works "Cube" by the encrypted artist Pak, and 3 pieces of "Digital Zones" by Mitchel Chen, with a total value exceeding 1 billion RMB.
"We will continue to invest and provide opportunities for this community to access top art from around the world," Sun Yuchen once said on social media.
III. The combination of art and Web3 brings forth a brilliant new vitality
Only through the continuous integration and innovation of culture and technology can the inheritance of civilization be better achieved.
As mentioned earlier, one version of "The Nose" could not be moved due to its fragility, and could only be displayed in an alternative way using modern technology, allowing old art to bloom with new vitality. Similarly, Sun Yuchen's APENFT Foundation, in collaboration with TRON, spent 3 months creating an art gallery in the decentralized virtual space Decentraland. "The Nose" became a virtual collection in the center of the gallery for all Web3 users to appreciate, and the gallery also displayed various NFT art collections from the APENFT Foundation, floating above the undulating digital ocean.
On the occasion of this special exhibition in Paris, the Giacometti Foundation announced a closer collaboration with the APENFT Foundation and TRON, with the latter sponsoring important research projects of the Giacometti Foundation, especially funding research and organization of exhibitions.
The collaboration between TRON and the Giacometti Foundation marks the first cross-border collaboration between a leading public chain and a top art foundation, and may give birth to a new model of online art curation and digitization of top artworks, leading a new wave of integration of technology and art.
In fact, as a representative figure in the blockchain field and a well-known collector, Sun Yuchen has been playing an important role in the integration of the art industry and blockchain technology. His cross-disciplinary thinking and innovative spirit have injected new vitality into the art market and brought new opportunities to artists and collectors. Through active exploration and promotion, he has opened up new possibilities for the combination of art and technology, making people look forward to the future of digital art and blockchain technology.
Sun Yuchen believes that the combination of art and technology helps to drive innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration. He actively encourages artists to explore new forms of expression and art through technological means, creating unique experiences and interactive methods. He believes that only through continuous innovation and renewal can art stay in sync with the times and truly touch people's hearts.
For example, the APENFT Foundation, in collaboration with TRON, established a special fund for artistic dreams to explore, cultivate, and support potential high-quality NFT artists and artworks. In addition, APENFT has invested in and incubated dozens of NFT-related projects and supported NFT marketplaces, establishing a strong presence in the NFT arena and building industry reputation.
In addition, Sun Yuchen is also promoting the development of encrypted digital culture through TRON. TRON is a decentralized platform based on blockchain that provides more convenient and secure digital distribution and transaction solutions for content creators. Through the TRON ecosystem, artists can better showcase their works to a global audience, achieving the digitization and circulation of artworks.
For encrypted art, a sustainable and rapidly growing ecosystem is the foundation and solid support for empowering everything. Sun Yuchen and TRON are becoming pioneers in the integration of technology and art in the Web3 field. The collaboration between TRON and the Giacometti Foundation has opened up imagination for the integration of art and technology, and in the future, more traditional art partners will join this camp, bearing even more brilliant cultural fruits and promoting the development of human civilization.
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