“A picture without a frame is like a soul without a body”– Vincent van Gogh

NFTs in the metaverse will be framed

NFTs are the next frontier of art. This digital art revolution is propelled by true ownership of digital assets. Public blockchains are the ownership registries. As society is moving deeper into the metaverse, the cultural significance and adoption of crypto assets will only accelerate.

Virtual worlds, galleries and experiences will be increasingly populated with scarce digital assets. NFTs will tokenize all the things. Frames are significant to the history of art. They are enhancing art while embodying art themselves. At Frahm, we are bringing the art of framing into the metaverse.

Enhancing digital art

Frames are multipliers of appeal and value. They enhance the art they encase. They show off the qualities of an image, directing attention to its structure, patterns, and colours, enabling them to resonate fully with a viewer. They mould the interpretation of the viewer to the work by suggesting the value we should attach to it. The right frame not only brings perfection to a painting, but it can also increase its value.

Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, known as the Mona Lisa in the Salle des États. Courtesy of Musée du Louvre.

Frames accommodate a piece of art to its setting, functioning as a bond between the dream world of art and the decorative scheme of the museum, gallery or home the work inhabits. A piece of art without a frame is naked. High-value art deserves high-value frames. As much in the digital as in the physical world. We are giving collectors, creators, and galleries the frames they deserve.

Art in its own right

Imagine digital frames as NFTs. While frames enhance art, the art of framing is art in its own right. Part furniture, part sculpture, they can be remarkably beautiful creations. Crafted by the hands of Old Masters, at their best they are works of art themselves. Their own brilliance must also serve that of the paintings they encase. Framing is a craftsmanship not insignificant to the history of art.

Preview, Frahm sample frame.

Digital art is currently experiencing its own renaissance. The metaverse is being populated with innovative and valuable art works. Many with historic importance. The few plain digital frames we are witnessing today are not adequately reflecting this significance by any means. We want to bring more value to the collectors, curators, and galleries of the metaverse. Frahm is bringing craftsmanship into the digital frame.

Innovation in framing

Throughout history, innovation and experimentation in frames continued. Like the art they contain, frames reveal the social, political, and economic influences of the times in which they were made. The history of their design is a record of styles and practices that are as much a function of practical demands as they are subject to the whims of taste. For centuries, frames have evolved to reflect their time and place.

Evolution of frame designs in recent history. Courtesy of Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

The concept of framing has been around since ancient Egypt and Greece. The earliest wooden frame was discovered in the 2nd century AD. Ancient Chinese and Persian artists integrated frame designs directly into the painting on paper or silk. By the 12th century, European frames started to resemble frames as we recognize them today. As cultural and intellectual movement, the Renaissance gave birth to a new set of frame styles. Louis style frames marked a golden period in craftsmanship. Later, Naturalists, Impressionists and Expressionists all applied their own respective style to framing.

Digital frames are the next frontier in the art of framing. NFTs, the metaverse and computer technology set a new context to interpret this craft. At the same time, they provide the artist with unprecedented capabilities. At Frahm, we are collaborating with leading artists, galleries, and platforms to frame NFTs in the metaverse.