NFTs of The Kiss by Gustav Klimt now available for Valentine’s Day

Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss (Lovers) – one of the world’s most famous works of art and the centerpiece of the Belvedere’s collection – will be specially implemented as an NFT project. A high-resolution digital copy will be divided into a 100 x 100 grid, resulting in 10,000 inimitable individual pieces that will be offered as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs for short. 

In addition to purchasing the NFT, buyers can register as owners of their piece on the platform thekiss.art, where the picture can be viewed in its entirety. This entry can also serve as a declaration of love – just in time for Valentine’s Day. 

“What does it mean to own a work of art in the digital age? The rise of NFTs, which has preoccupied the art world since 2020, has given fresh impetus to this intriguing question. The conversion of digital reproductions into virtual originals opens up new forms of participation that, in financial terms, should be taken seriously, yet can also be viewed playfully,” says Belvedere General Director Stella Rollig about the drop. 

The 10,000 NFTs can be purchased at an estimated retail price of around 1,850 euros each. A special process was chosen for this: A “whitelisting” phase will begin on 26 January at 00.00 am (Central European Time), whereby interested parties can register to purchase on the thekiss.art platform. 

On February 9, those willing to buy will receive authorization to purchase minted NFTs of a piece of the digital Kiss. Minting is an imprinting process through which digital art becomes part of the blockchain – this guarantees that each NFT is unalterable and forgery-proof. From February 9, buyers can complete the transaction. The 10,000 segments of the work will be allocated at random. 

The drop, or official release of the NFTs, will take place by Valentine’s Day, February 14. The issued NFT certificates will then show exactly which digital part of the painting was purchased. 

An individual dedication of love can be added to the NFT via thekiss.art. These dedications can 

be seen on the platform starting February 14. The NFTs can be resold via any commercially available NFT sales platform. 

A team of art law experts at CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz, headed by partner Bernhard Hainz and attorney Saskia Leopold, and attorney Klaus Pateter, who specializes in blockchain and tokenization, are advising the Belvedere in all legal matters associated with this project. Unzer is a partner in payment processing. 

The couple in The Kiss appear intimately entangled, oblivious to their surroundings, and lost in 

their embrace. With this work at the height of his “Golden Period,” Austrian painter Gustav Klimt 

created a universal allegorical statement about love as a central theme of human existence. The 

Austrian State bought the work when it was first presented, in 1908, for the recently founded 

Modern Gallery in the Lower Belvedere. Since then, the painting has remained in the museum’s 

holdings. Today, The Kiss is considered an icon of Viennese Art Nouveau and European 

Modernism. It is one of the most famous works of art in the world. 

Austrian art is presented in an international context at three locations of the Belvedere museum 

in Vienna. The Baroque complex of the Upper and Lower Belvedere and its garden is a UNESCO 

World Heritage Site. Its renowned art collection includes works ranging from the Middle Ages to 

the present day. And with 24 paintings by Gustav Klimt, the Belvedere possesses the world’s 

largest collection of his paintings. Other highlights include prominent works from the Viennese 

Biedermeier period, the Austrian Baroque, Vienna around 1900, and French Impressionism. 

Continued development and digitization in all areas will ensure Belvedere’s status as an 

outstanding museum in the future as well. 

artèQ, a venture by the Donau-Finanz Group, is an NFT investment fund and auction house 

whose aim is to unite innovation, technology, and art. The platform brings artists, art collectors, 

and investors closer to digital art using the safest technology available. Via artèQ Auction House, 

a powerful online platform that uses the latest technology in an exclusive virtual environment, 

works of art are traded all over the world – in various auction houses or directly with museums 

and galleries. With its international team of specialists in technology, finance, and the arts, artèQ 

not only guarantees professional support but also constant adaptation to the latest 

developments in the blockchain market.