This is the first time a cryptocurrency will be utilized as the standard currency for bidding on tangible artworks in real-time during a live auctioning, which is a game-changer. Viewers from all around the world will be able to watch the auction live-streamed on Sotheby's social media platforms, including the company's dedicated Discord channel, as well as on Sothebys.com.
Sotheby became the first auction house to allow cryptocurrencies as a payment option for a tangible work of art when a distinct artwork by Banksy was offered in the May 2021 Contemporary Evening Auction.
These historic auctions not only highlight the artist's position as a leading art world disruptor whose work resonates with the crypto community's boundary-pushing ethos, but they also demonstrate Sotheby's innovative spirit in experimenting with and expanding the possibilities of the auction format.
The picture has come to represent the artist's distinct graphic style, sardonic humor, and energizing political criticism. Love is in the Air is a classic Banksy painting: instantly recognized, it has become synonymous with the artist's unmistakable graphic style, sarcastic humor, and electrifying political message.
Banksy's protagonist takes the iconic position of civic discontent, prepared to launch a projectile at an unseen opponent, but the artist substitutes the missile with a bouquet, disarming this image of violent unrest to produce a piece that is both a plea for change and a call for peace.
The painting is further differentiated by the incorporation of hand-painted flowers in oil - a characteristic rarely seen in Banksy's output – making it one of the artist's most beloved works on canvas. Love is in the Air uses a gentle touch to remind the spectator of the unfairness and inequality that exists in the world, while simultaneously offering a simple message of hope.