Christie’s Auction House is set to make history once again by hosting its first-ever sale dedicated entirely to A.I.-generated art. Titled “Augmented Intelligence,” the auction will commence on February 20 and feature over 20 pieces spanning various mediums, including painting, sculpture, digital installations, and interactive experiences.
The event highlights the innovative fusion of technology and creativity, showcasing works from acclaimed artists such as Refik Anadol, Claire Silver, Pinder Van Arman, Alexander Reben, Linda Dounia, Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, and A.I. art pioneer Harold Cohen. Many of these works come directly from the artists themselves.
Nicole Sales Giles, Christie’s Vice President and Digital Art Director, emphasized the significance of this sale, noting that it aims to demonstrate the vast potential of A.I. in fine art. “These artists are using A.I. not as a replacement but as an enhancement to their creativity,” she remarked.
One of the standout pieces is a diptych from Herndon and Dryhurst’s “xhairymutantx” series, featured in the 2024 Whitney Biennial. The artists trained a text-to-image A.I. model using images of Herndon, ensuring that every generated image reflects her distinctive features. Their pieces, Embedding Study 1 and 2, are estimated to sell for $70,000 to $90,000.
Pinder Van Arman presents nine canvases from his “Emerging Faces” series, created using generative A.I. models to paint human faces. One of these early neural network paintings is part of the L.A. County Museum of Art’s collection. The series is expected to fetch between $180,000 and $250,000.
Alexander Reben offers a dynamic artwork featuring a robot programmed to paint in real-time based on auction bids. Installed at Christie’s Rockefeller headquarters, the painting robot’s activity increases with each bid, leading to an estimated sale range from $100 to $1.7 million.
The auction also honors Harold Cohen’s AARON program, a groundbreaking A.I. system developed from the 1960s to the 2000s. AARON’s minimalist drawing included in the sale underscores the enduring legacy of early A.I. art.
Following the notable $1 million sale of an A.I.-created artwork by Sotheby’s in November, Christie’s aims to highlight the collaborative nature of A.I. art. As Sales Giles noted, “This auction showcases what’s possible when human creativity meets limitless technology.”
The “Augmented Intelligence” auction will be open for public viewing at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries from February 20 through March 5, when bidding will officially close.
Source: Artnet
