Michael Bouhanna
Michael Bouhanna is Vice President, Contemporary Art Specialist and Head of Digital Arts and NFTs at Sotheby's, the world's premier destination for art and luxury. In 2021, he spearheaded the company's first curated NFT auction, Natively Digital, a showcase of leading artists in this space. His Natively Digital auctions set multiple artists' all-time records and achieved a total sale of $40 million across three editions. The same year, he conceived, launched and curated Sotheby’s Metaverse, the auction house’s dedicated marketplace for digital art. Bouhanna is also a leader in educating traditional art collectors and introducing a wider audience to the contemporary digital art landscape. He often shares his passion for this new medium at global international fairs and conferences. Under his leadership, Sotheby's was recognized by Forbes Blockchain 50 and TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2022 for its innovation in and expansion of the NFT art market.
Michael Bouhanna Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Vice President, Contemporary Art Specialist & Head of Digital Arts and NFTs
Bouhanna is a specialist in the market for work by young and emerging artists.
He joined Sotheby's in London as a contemporary art specialist in 2017.
His Natively Digital showcase recorded some of the highest single-lot sale prices in the history of digital art, such as the sale of:
A rare Cryptopunk for $11 million
101 Bored Apes Yacht Club for $24 million
A generative work by Dmitri Cherniak for close to $1 million
MEDIA
He has been featured or interviewed at Forbes, NFT Now, CoinDesk, Barron's PENTA, The Block, Blockworks, and more.
He has appeared as a guest in the 2023 Real Vision Festival of Learning.