Cover photo by redcharlie | @redcharlie1 on Unsplash
One of the key value propositions of NFT art is that it’s completely open and permissionless. Anyone can publish their art and sell it directly to their collectors on sites like fxhash, Manifold, or Foundation. No need to please the right gallery owners, art critics, or curators.
To me, this openness is one of the most important aspects of this space. With that said, I still think curation plays a critical role in highlighting the best, most innovative art. And specific platforms do just that, while also providing a seamless and secure experience for both artists and collectors.
If you don’t yet feel confident spotting the next superstar artist or minting from random websites, these platforms provide a much-needed service. And even as you gain experience, they’re always worth keeping an eye on. I personally check their upcoming drops on a weekly basis.
What you’ll notice is that they all do things a little differently. Different kinds of art, different frequencies of new art drops, and different price levels. Some are membership-based while others are open to anyone. What they all have in common are curation and amazing art.
SuperRare
SuperRare is the leading platform for premier 1-of-1 NFT art. It’s used by many of the most sought-after and expensive NFT artists. Think Beeple, XCOPY, Grant Yun, Matt Kane, Tyler Hobbs, and the like.
It’s curated in the sense that every single artist on there has been vetted and allowed onto the platform by the SuperRare team. This makes it a little different than many of the other launchpads where each individual drop is curated and planned by the curatorial team.
Some of the biggest artists in the NFT space are all on SuperRare
Becoming a “SuperRare artist” is a big deal in this space. It’s an important achievement and a stamp of approval for many artists, and one you’ll often see celebrated on social media.
The most common way for artists to sell new works on SuperRare is with reserve auctions. When an artist drops a new piece, anyone can place a bid at or above the reserve price set by the artist. This starts an auction, usually lasting 24 hours. The highest bidder wins the piece.
A new listing by STR4NGETHING and an active auction by Tania Franco Klein on SuperRare
If you really want to go deep into the SuperRare universe, you might want to join the SuperRare DAO or even buy a RarePass. Being a DAO member gives you a say in which new artists and galleries get to join SuperRare, as well as the prioritization of feature improvements on the platform.
The RarePass is a relatively new membership pass that gives you access to an exclusive monthly airdrop from a legendary artist, three opportunities per month to win unique 1/1 artworks, and more. Read all the details here and decide for yourself if it’s worth the ~$50,000 it takes to get one.
However, even if you opt out of the DAO and the RarePass, as the majority of collectors do, SuperRare is an amazing platform for anyone who takes NFT art seriously. And it’s got a lot to offer, so I suggest you just go browse and click around for yourself. Enjoy!
Art Blocks
Art Blocks is by far the largest and most popular platform for generative NFT art, i.e., the type that’s created by code written by the artist. New projects typically consist of a few hundred unique yet similar pieces. Your piece is only generated after you click the ‘Buy’ button.
A new project usually drops every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They’re all grouped into one of four collections: Curated, Presents, Collaborations, and Explorations. While the Curated collection has by far the strictest requirements, all the art on the platform is curated to some extent.
You can easily explore both upcoming and live Art Blocks projects on their website
Most new projects launch as Dutch auctions, descending in price from several thousand dollars to a few hundred. The most popular ones never get anywhere near the bottom of the range.
Despite the curation and the popularity of the platform, you’re still able to find some amazing art for rather affordable prices. Another great aspect of Art Blocks is that everyone can participate in new drops, unlike some of the other platforms on this list.
If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know I’m a big fan of Art Blocks. I own a few Art Blocks pieces myself and also channeled my fandom into a more comprehensive guide a little while back. Check it out if you want to learn more.
Bright Moments
Bright Moments started out with an NFT art gallery in Venice Beach and has now expanded to LA, New York, Berlin, London, and Mexico City. Tokyo is next on the ten-city roadmap. However, these venues aren’t just for displaying art.
What makes Bright Moments unique, as a gallery and as a “launchpad”, is their live IRL minting experiences. At various events and meetups in their galleries, Bright Moments members can show up and participate in live mints from some of the leading artists in the space.
Bright Moments in the leader when it comes to live IRL minting experiences
There’s always been a close tie between Bright Moments and Art Blocks, and many of the biggest artists in the space have launched collections on both platforms. These include Tyler Hobbs, Emily Xie, Ben Kovach, Erick Calderon, and Matt Delauriers.
In fact, the two platforms made it official very recently when they announced their partnership. Expect to see even more great art from established Art Blocks artists in these live minting experiences.
Bright Moments is actually organized as a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), owned and operated by CryptoCitizens holders. New venue locations are chosen and run by the CryptoCitizen community. Members also get early access to new collections minted in these venues.
gm. studio
gm. studio is another generative art launchpad, similar to Art Blocks. It was created by the gmDAO and has labeled itself “the world’s first completely decentralized art platform.”
The art on gm. studio is curated by a panel of hand-picked generative artists and collectors from within the gmDAO. They prioritize art and artists that are pushing the limits in the space.
Some of the most popular generative art projects were launched on gm. studio
Seven curated collections have launched on gm. studio in the past year. Each one consists of either 555 or 999 generative pieces. The mint price of the first five was 0.15 ETH while the two latest drops had a price tag of 0.25 ETH. They all trade significantly higher on the secondary market.
I’m personally a big fan of the gm. studio model and the art that has come out of it. I don’t own any of the works yet but hope to change that very soon. I recommend you follow them on Twitter or join their Discord server to stay on top of upcoming releases.
Verse
Verse is a really interesting platform, although it comes with a bit of a learning curve. I’m also not super well-versed with the platform (pun very much intended), but here’s what you need to know to get started.
Mimicking the real-world analog, new art on Verse is dropped as part of distinct exhibitions. As I’m writing this, Verse is launching a new exhibition called Odysseys with new art added every weekday for two weeks.
The Odysseys exhibition features prominent NFT artists like Melissa Wiederrecht, Ben Kovach, and Emily Edelman. Other notable names include Zancan, Anna Lucia, Nicolas Sassoon, and Zach Lieberman.
Find all past and upcoming exhibitions and individual art collections on the Verse website
And the lineup of curators on Verse is almost as impressive. Art Blocks, Noah Davis (Brand Lead for CryptoPunks and formerly at Christie’s), Tyler Hobbs (the artist behind the iconic Fidenza), and more than 20 others are responsible for curating the best exhibitions and artists for Verse.
You’ll find a good mix of unique 1/1, editions, and generative collections on Verse. They’re either sold on auction or with fixed prices, ranging from a couple of hundred to several thousand dollars. Verse also has its own secondary marketplace where you’ll probably find something you like.
Nifty Gateway
Nifty Gateway has been around for a long time and keeps doing some really interesting things. It’s an art-focused NFT launchpad and marketplace, but with a twist: Anyone can apply to become a “publisher” on the platform, as either an artist, a curator, or a brand.
This means that you can discover new artists and great art through the curation by someone you already know and trust. I’m personally a big fan of this concept and have used Nifty Gateway a lot more recently.
Lots of curators, artists, and brands have their own curated collections on Nifty Gateway
Nifty Gateway itself is leading the charge with its own ‘Nifty Gateway Curated’. They’re featuring new drops almost every weekday. You can follow the account and see the drop schedule here. Browsing the platform and following a few publishers is a great way to get started.
Ninfa
Ninfa calls itself a curated multi-category marketplace for digital assets. They work with artists and curators to feature the best art on their online platform and in galleries around the world. So far, they have partnered with more than 600 artists and 30 galleries.
Some of the hottest artists in the NFT space are using Ninfa to drop their new works
The platform has been popping up on my radar recently as some of my favorite artists have started using it. I participated (and was outbid) in an auction by makeitrad. DeltaSauce, another one of the hottest NFT artists at the moment, just dropped an open edition at 0.2 ETH a piece.
Similarly to Nifty Gateway, Ninfa allows you to apply as an artist, a gallery/curator, or a brand. I’m excited to follow along as they expand their network, drop new collections, and host more IRL gallery events.
Want more recommendations?
These seven platforms are some of my absolute favorites. Many of the best artists use them to publish their digital works and I’m confident you’ll find something you like.
This wasn’t a comprehensive list though. I cover seven more platforms in some really interesting genres in the second part of my guide. You can find it right here.
