In the art world the discussion on NFTs is lively: it’s being talked about the artistic value of digital artworks authenticated via blockchain and speculation, the impact on contemporary art’s world, the intellectual property and revolution in the digital system.

Anyway art and NFT has become a well know pair and it’s also been officially approved in the contemporary art network. Think about MOCDA museum and the curatorial work of her founder, Serena Tabacchi or the Decentral Art Pavilion, an entire space dedicated to NFT art inside the 59th Venice Biennale.

In the NFT universe the work of Italian artists, to name a few now on show in Venice Valentina Picozzi, Federica Belli, Fabio Giampietro, deserves respect and attention and it’s far more than taking advantage of a trend ruled by fate and algorithms. It stretches between the conceptual reflexion on crypto world, the photographic research, the quest involving painting and tridimensional space and its virtual expansion.

Not only the youngest digital natives artists are talking and working on Non Fungible Tokens: Bernard Venet has brought the debate on NFTs effects on conceptual art in his great retrospective currently on show until May 30th at the Tempelhof Kunsthalle in Berlin.

NFTs are officially part of the art market but if moving between auctions and fairs might not be that easy, navigate through many different online NFTs marketplaces one can definitely loose his bearings.

Here are some reference points to start from: informations and requirements to access NFTs auctions and the best platforms to buy from.

NFTs are bought and sold in crypto currency so in addition to sign up to the marketplace you choose it’s essential having a wallet, with the corresponding crypto money the platform requires, like Bitcoin or Ether, most frequently the last one, the most NFTs focused blockchain at the moment is actually Ethereum. To create a wallet you can use the browser plugin Metamask.

Moreover it’s worth to keep in mind that NFTs price can fluctuate daily based on Ethereum’s value and the blockchain’s fees and that each marketplace has its own gas fee to pay in order to buy and sell on the platform.

Here are the best marketplaces to buy NFT art, either if you are looking for the most valued artists or you’d like to discover young talents in digital art.

A tip for who is not familiar with this world: the majority of all NFTs marketplaces are selling not only crypto art but also many other kinds of NFTs (memes, music, collectibles, trading cards, etc…).

OpenSea is probably the most famous NFTs international marketplace. It’s the place where the super lucky, even though not so artistic, series Cryptopunks and Bored Ape Catch Club started gaining the world’s attention on NFTs but here you can also find a milestone of digital art from the 20th Century, Computer Joy, a collection of fifteen NFTs created with Lee Mullican’s original works, thanks to a partnership between Lee Mullican’s Estate and Verisart, online platform that helps artists creating and managing NFTs.

OpenSea also offers insights on demand of certain artworks and a special badge that reports if the NFT is permanently saved on servers, useful informations to evaluate the investment and think about the work’s conservation.

On Rarible you can find different types of NFTs, from Akashi Murakami’s iconic flowers to generative art from Art Blocks, online platform that engages users actively participating in the NFTs creation together with algorithms.

SuperRare is the marketplace where among the first 100 NFTs created in 2018, arose the Italian duo Hackatao, known for its defined style and references to art history, the society and the Metaverse. A look at SuperRare’s magazine can help you better navigate the platform by knowing the artists, their work and their message. The marketplace is one of artists’ favorite.

Foundation is a creative playground for artists, curators and collectors that aims to strengthen the relationship and mutual support between these players. Foundation was born only in 2021 but has already reached a remarkable volume of created and sold NFTs.

Nifty Gateway directly collaborates with artists to create limited edition collections and exclusive NFTs available on the platform only, like Michael Kagan’s or Steven Sebring’s. Among the pros of the marketplace are the different payment options available and zero gas fees to buy or sell nifties (slang for NFTs).

Using the most reliable NFTs platforms is important and to better move across thousands of new NFTs created every day, follow their social media profiles (especially Instagram and Twitter) and subscribe to their newsletter to follow news, next drops, artists.

Valentina Riccò